Enigma
by SketchyVE
Summary: It's Arthur Kirkland's 23rd birthday, and everybody who's any body is invited. But when he meets a strange vigilante, his life changes drastically and not for the better, or does it?
1. Gift

**A/N Update (Aug 2013):** I decided to redo this story with cleanups and everything. I started to get back on this story guys. Bigger and badder now! I'm now currently a college student so updates will be slow, but I promise that I'll update A.S.A.P. Okay and as for my story I made huge changes such as the country names and my setting.

**Setting: **A small kingdom by the name of Nodnol. A post-modern medieval town where the kingdom grew with agriculture, but is willing to embrace industrialization and technology on coexistence plain. The main story is taken within the parameters of this kingdom.

**Warnings:** This story is an AU and character(s) will be a bit OOC. Human names are used and future lemon. The first part is what I consider it a prologue, but I didn't want to make a prologue chapter. Please don't get confused. Until then enjoy ~

**Pairing(s)**

Main Pairing: USxUK

Side/Hinted Pairing(s): PruCan, GerIta, Spamano, AusHun, GriPan, FrancexFem!Iggy and UKxFem!Japan

**Enigma**

April 23rd, I remember that day all too well. The hallways were brightly lit with their glass chandeliers, ceiling walls were painted with cream colored cherubim children as wings sprouted in between their shoulder blades, the hums of string instruments floated on the ballroom floor like silk, and phantom movements of feet graced across the floor. The light laughter and small talk continue to echo in my ears. And the different masks that people wore that night are burned into my memory.

I hated it.

I hated all the merriment; I hated all the lights; I hated all the music, dancing, and festivities. I hated everything that day.

Sure, I may be exaggerating, but I hate parties with no real meaning. It might have been my birthday and I _was _a prince of Nodnol and all, but I'd rather read a book than go and have a party to enjoy my big day. I sometimes wish that I wasn't born into royalty and for two good reasons: One, I wouldn't have this damn Kirkland curse. Sadly, being a male and bearing the Kirkland name I have these furry caterpillars upon my forehead that people call eyebrows, nasty little buggers. And two, I would actually enjoy my life instead of living a very routine dictated life. I guess I'm just being selfish, and few even told me that I'm _lucky _for being born into this lifestyle - if I hadn't, I probably wouldn't have met someone that had changed my life.

**Chapter One**

**Gift**

The sun's rays beat heavily on the citizens of Nodnol, but it didn't seem to stop them and the commotion that was in the streets. The energetic hum of people yelling across the market square, high pitched squeals of whistles, the rhythmic trotting of horses, stray animals maneuvering around the streets, and the chugging of cars filled the air.

Today was April 23rd, and to the average man it was a regular day, but to the citizens it was an extremely important event. It was their beloved prince's 23rd birthday and everybody that was literally _anybody_, was invited to the castle for an extravagant party. Stores were closing early and the people chatted loudly about their expectations for the castle, but soon everything grew into hush tones when a harmonic fanfare entered.

Six pure white stallions trotted in uniform as they pulled the large black coach and the people watched attentively when it passed in front of them. An emblem of a metallic gold lion was portrayed on each door and the coach driver wore an elegant white uniform. Soon the whispers started to rise.

"Hey, isn't that the Golden Lion emblem of the Kirkland family?"

"Kirkland?! You mean _the _Kirkland?"

"Do you think the prince is in there?"

"The prince?!"

The whispers soon became louder and groups of people started to follow the carriage. The coach driver sighed.

"Oh dear," he muttered.

He opened the small window behind him and turned his head. Two boys sat on opposite ends of the coach. The younger one of the two sat on his knees glancing out the window with wide eyes while the other had his legs crossed and an elbow perched on the edge of the window staring blankly with no amusement. The coach driver gave a small smile.

"Your Highness, it seems that your plan on coming in with no one noticing failed."

The older boy gave a sharp glare. "Of course it did Ludwig. It was Peter's plan after all," he snarled.

Hearing his name, the younger boy turned with a huff. "Hey! At least I got you out of the castle right? I should be getting a thank you instead of criticism you jerk!"

"Oh yeah? Well if that's what you want - thank you Peter. Thanks for letting the entire town know that their prince was in town, a few hours before his party!"

"You're welcome Arthur," Peter said happily not noticing the sarcasm in his brother's voice.

"You're so daft I swear. I sometimes wonder if you're stupidity in human form," Arthur groaned in exasperation, rolling his eyes.

Ludwig gave a light laugh and turned his head back to the road. "You seem to be in a good mood today."

"You must be joking." Arthur uncrossed his leg and gave Ludwig a disbelieving look.

"Nein, ah pardon that's no in Namreg. I'm serious, it seems like you actually might be excited for tonight's party."

"I'm sure as hell not!" Arthur snapped. "And if I was, it's no big deal. Father does this every year and it's normally bigger than the previous year." He sighed and looked outside the window again. "I just wish that I could have a regular birthday." He mumbled under his breath.

Peter snickered and plopped on the chair. "…I'm telling Mum you said hell."

Arthur turned his head, cocked an eyebrow and gave a coy smile. "Is that so? Cheeky brat. Fine, go ahead and tell her, but I highly doubt she'll believe it if I tell her you said it first."

Peter paled. "Hey! That's not fair you jerk! You tricked me!" Peter said in a high pitched whine.

"Well, it's not my fault that you're an git."

Ludwig slowly closed the opening attempting to ignore the sibling bickering and gave a small laugh.

_I'm sure you'll eventually have one, Your Highness. _He thought silently.

The six horses turned the corner and came to the entrance to a small gift shop that read _The Little Scarf._ It was small but had homely feel.

"Anschlag," Ludwig commanded, pulling on the reins.

The horses snorted and neighed as they dug their hoofs into the ground and came to a brief halt. He reopened the small window to see Arthur pinning Peter the ground and suspending his arms above his head with a foot against his back.

"Say that you won't tell Mother!" Arthur hissed.

"Ok I won't!" Peter whimpered. Noticeable tears were in his eyes as half his face was buried in the floor. "Just let me go, Arthur!"

Ludwig coughed making Arthur to let go of his brother and pushed him to the ground.

"Y-you tosser." Peter rubbed his arms in comfort as he sniffled.

"Ludwig," Arthur said with a chuckle, "why did you stop me? I was about to make him cry!"

"Arthur." Ludwig only said Arthur's real name when he was either irritated or trying to get Arthur back down to earth. "May I remind you that you are of age where it's rude to tease your brother in such harsh ways?" Arthur pursed his lips in defiance and Ludwig sighed in defeat. "I would also like to remind you that the reason why you're currently in the streets of the citizen is because you requested that I'd take you to The Little Scarf in order to pick up a gift, am I not right?"

"Yes." Arthur cocked an eyebrow in anticipation.

"I would like to let you know that we are here," Ludwig said pointing towards the shop.

Arthur's eyes fluttered with excitement and turned to look out the window with a smile. The Little Scarf had such a foreign feel to it. It looked like a small cottage with small teardrop shaped dolls sitting outside the door and a fat brown cat perched outside licking its fur. A vase of sunflowers sat at a small end table and the sound of wind chimes danced in the wind.

"Excellent…" Arthur chirped happily. He placed a hand on the doorknob and started to turn it.

"Wait, Your Highness," Ludwig said, stopping Arthur in his tracks.

Arthur groaned. "What is it now, Ludwig?" Ludwig gave him a cross look, but Arthur completely disregarded it already knowing what he was going to say. "I'll be fine don't you worry, I don't need your protection all the time."

"Are you sure?" Ludwig said not entirely convinced.

"Yes, for God's sake!"

Ludwig smiled with a humorous twist. "Alright then, go ahead."

"Thank you." Arthur said with less hostility.

He opened the door only to see a fan of citizens, mainly female, waiting for him like a swarm of bees. They screamed his name in high pitched squeals and reached out for him as if his touch could cure cancer.

_Bloody hell. _Arthur thought as his eyes filled with horror.

"Good luck, Arthur!" Peter jeered.

"Good luck, Arthur," he mocked under his breath immaturely. He sighed and closed his eyes emptying his mind.

_Alright here we go!_

After the first step everything became a blur. Women clawed at him and argued which article of clothing was theirs. His body was ricocheted from one side of the crowd to the other making him lose which direction he was going, and he could have sworn someone touched his butt. The fat cat yelped in fear and crawled through the little doggie door and inside the store.

"L-Ludwig, h-help!" he cried out desperately, attempting to find air. He flailed an arm in the air, but he felt himself being buried beneath the crowd.

Ludwig stepped off the coach and removed one of his silk gloves.

_I did warn him. _He thought with a sigh.

He roughly pushed himself through the crowd only to see Arthur on the ground in a fetal position.

"Still don't think you need my help?" he said sarcastically, offering a hand.

Arthur quickly recollected his composure and smiled smugly, pulling himself up. "No…I still think that I'll be fine on my own. It's just, I'm not a great people person and you're just here to help me overcome that."

"Whatever you say, Your Highness."

Arthur dusted himself off and gave Ludwig a nod. "I won't be long, just make sure that they don't follow me in, okay?" He pointed at the enormous crowd that seemed to grow larger every second. Ludwig nodded in obedience and Arthur slipped silently through the crowd and entered the store.

A cool breeze hit his face and a bell chimed as the door closed. The cat awkwardly scurried across the room and nudged against his leg, purring each time he looped around.

"Why hello there," Arthur said cheerfully as he knelt down to pet it.

The cat responded with a gruff meow as it's tail coiled playfully. Arthur took a closer look at the cat and noticed that it had a very peculiar figure. Its face looked a bit squashed with a dark blue nose that complemented its flatness, and the body was covered with a thick brown winter coat. It looked as if a devilish grin was plastered on its face, as it looked at Arthur with curious eyes.

"Is your owner home today?"

Arthur heard a laugh that made his spine crawl.

"Da, he is here."

Arthur turned around to see a very large man with beige colored hair standing near the back entrance. His face appeared childish with round curves around his cheeks, and his nose was flat. He wore an innocent smile on his face and Arthur felt his eyes on him even though they were closed. He wore a tan overcoat with a pink scarf wrapped tightly around his neck.

_How the bloody hell is he wearing that in the middle of summer? _Arthur wondered.

"Prince Kirkland, I assume?" the man asked, his accent heavy.

"That's me." He shuddered at the way the man said his name. "I'm guessing you're Ivan Brigdai-"

"Braginski," Ivan corrected, his eyes flickering open. They were an unusual shade of violet. "It's foreign."

"Yes, my apologies. I believe it's Naissur." Ivan nodded his head impressed that Arthur was able to figure it out. "I hear from your sister, Katyusha, that you're very umm, very picky with your last name." Arthur sheepishly took a step back.

Ivan's eyes flickered dangerously. "Da, she is right. I even sometimes kill the person when they get it wrong." His smile grew dark.

Arthur stomach knotted. _This guy gives me the creeps._

"I am joking," Ivan said as if he read Arthur's mind.

"O-oh, I see." Arthur gave a weak laugh. "Well you could have fooled me."

"Really? I promise that wasn't my intent, my apologies as well."

"Y-yeah well just make sure it doesn't happen again," Arthur snapped, attempting to keep a strong composure but failing miserably.

"…Da, it won't," Ivan said icily tightening his lips. He turned towards the back door and motioned Arthur to follow him. "I assume that you would not like to waste any time, so if you would please be kind enough to follow me."

Arthur nodded and followed Ivan through the store.

The sound of footsteps echoing through the hallways made heads pop out of rooms and glance at Arthur and Ivan. The whispers rose once again.

"Isn't that the prince?"

"No way! I don't believe it!"

Arthur looked down at the floor in embarrassment and Ivan noticed the young man's dismay.

"Seems like you are Mr. Popular, no?" Ivan said cheerfully in hopes of cheering him up.

Arthur didn't look up. " I guess..."

Ivan noticed that his attempts were disregarded and the two continued to walk in silence.

The two entered the library section of the store to see that a small group of people were already using it, but a group of three caught Arthur's attention. They walked up to Ivan with an uncontrollably tremble that Arthur believed that they were having seizures.

"M-Mr. Ivan, sir, we organized to library like you asked us to," one of them said, not looking up. Arthur suddenly felt nervous.

"Excellent, Toris!" Ivan cooed as he placed a hand on his shoulder. Toris flinched as did the other two.

Toris looked up at Ivan then at Arthur with eyes that read _save me_, but Arthur was too afraid as well.

Toris was an average looking man with chocolate brown hair and hazel colored eyes. His taller companion, Eduard, was a very intelligent looking blond haired man that wore spectacles on his face. To Arthur's surprise he seemed to be the calmest one around Ivan compared to the other two. And the last one was small Ravis. He looked too young to work at a library and Arthur wanted to question it, but fear kept his mouth shut.

"Eduard," Ivan said with a sweet tone. Eduard stiffened. "By any chance do you have the Prince's gift?"

"Y-yes I do," he responded with a small tremble.

He turned and vanished within the hallways in a split second and returned with a small gift wrapped in a unique violet tissue paper covering.

"An excellent choice, if I do say so myself," Eduard said, flashing Arthur a smile.

"I know…I've been waiting a long time for this."

"Well enjoy it to the fullest," Ravis said with a smile. Ivan gave him a sharp look that made him jump in fear. "Uh, Your Highness."

"Thank you!"

He returned the smile and saw the three relax tremendously. Ivan frowned in irritation and turned towards Arthur.

"Well now that you got what you wanted you can leave, yes?" he said emphasizing the yes with a sharpness.

He started pushing Arthur out the door, not even giving him a chance to say goodbye. Arthur turned and opened his mouth to say something, but Ivan slammed the door in his face. He puffed his cheeks and flipped the bird at the door as if Ivan was able to see, but deep down he hoped he didn't. When he had calmed down, he looked at the gift that was wrapped in a violet wrapping paper and anxiety bubbled in his gut.

_Well it is my birthday and I should be able to open it whenever I want to. _He thought gaily.

And without any hesitation he tore off the perfectly wrapped gift to see smooth leather covering. He ran his fingers over the lettering and inhaled its scent.

_Finally_.

A moment passed of him admiring it till he finally realized-

"I think I'm lost," he said aloud as he glanced around the hallway.

At that moment he was pushed to the ground face first and felt a sharp, cold blade being placed across his neck. His face paled as he tried to flip over to see his attacker, but it was no use.

"Who are you and what are you to Big Brother Ivan?" the voice said. Their tone bit raspy, but Arthur was able to tell it belonged to a female.

"L-look, whoever you are, I have no intentions of hurting your brother whatsoever, so please let me go!" he begged.

"LIES! You…you're trying to steal him from me!" she screamed, pushing his face to the hardwood floor, "But I won't let you…I'll kill you before that happens."

_K-kill me? Great, this woman makes Ivan look sane. _Arthur thought frantically.

With adrenaline in his blood, he pushed the woman off him and created some distance. He took a look at her face and was surprised. He pictured a huge Naissur girl and bulging muscles and bloodshot eyes, but she was fairly attractive. Her long platinum grey colored hair complimented her pale skin and slim body, and her dark blue eyes seemed to pierce his soul.

"Big mistake," she hissed. She brought the blade to her face and prepared to strike. "Now that you've seen my face, I _must_ kill you!"

"C-can't we just talk about it! I'm sure we'll come to an understanding if we just talk about it." Arthur's stuttered. His voice was so high pitched that he didn't even recognize it as his own.

"Nyet, you will die here and now."

Arthur attempted to run, but like lightning she pinned his back against the wall and placed the blade back to his neck.

"Please die," the girl said with a smile.

And like that, Arthur closed his eyes preparing for a quick death, but the sound of drumming caught his attention.

_That couldn't be… could it?_

He slightly opened a corner of his eye and saw a small shadow of a person. The drumming grew closer and the woman stopped her blade as she scowled.

"My sister is here."

"NNAATTAALLIIAA!" the voice echoed as the sound of drums pounded louder with each step. "Stop! Don't hurt him!"

_It is! _Arthur beamed.

"Why not? He was with Big Brother, and so he's a threat to our love!"

"Oh bollocks, I was only here to pick up a damn book you git!" Arthur snapped unconsciously. She gave him a death glare and pushed the blade in so much closer that he couldn't swallow. "Yes, sorry, my apologies. Tongue just slipped."

An older looking woman with the same color as her sister and a yellow headband stopped in front of the woman she called Natalia. Her bobbed cut hairstyle traced her face as she leaned over trying to catch her breath.

"Katyusha!" Arthur squealed in relief.

"You know my sister?" Natalia said in shock. She then turned to Katyusha, but still kept the blade near Arthur's neck. "Sister, who is the small blond man that you refuse to let me kill?"

"He'stheprince," she said out of breath.

"Huh?" Arthur and Natalia said in unison.

She inhaled and exhaled deeply looking up at the both of them. "He's the prince."

Natalia turned and looked at Arthur with disbelief then back at her sister. She nodded with a smile and Natalia then looked back at Arthur.

"I see," she mumbled. She released Arthur, who fell to the ground with a face of relief, and placed the knife back into her sleeve. She started to walk away, but before she vanished down the hallway she stopped and gave her sister a warning. "Katyusha, don't forget about tonight."

"Yes… I know," she sounded with a guilty tone.

"Good." She turned and gave Arthur a small smile. "I look forward to seeing you at your party, Your Highness."

And with that she was gone.

Arthur blinked unsure what had just happened. Katyusha sighed and turned towards him.

"I apologize for my sister. She tends to get overprotective when it comes to our brother," she said with guilt.

"I can tell." Arthur said with a weak chuckle. He pushed himself off the ground and dusted his shoulders. "It's nice to know that you guys are...close."

Katyusha gave a weak laugh. "That's one way of putting it. But it's not just that. Two Acireman brothers just recently moved in, and she absolutely hates them," she said with a laugh. "Or at least one of them"

Arthur cocked an eyebrow in amusement. "Aciremas? In Nodnol?"

"Yes, they're here for business with Ivan. Our family financially helped them when their father died, and now they're just repaying their debt."

Arthur blinked in amazement.

_It makes me wonder how powerful Katyusha's family really is if they managed to finance two Aciremas._ Arthur wondered pursing his lips.

"I see. That's awfully sad to hear that their father died, but I guess it happens," Arthur said coldly. He thought of his own father and how badly he wanted him to die. He quickly wanted to change subjects. Thinking of his father made his stomach churn. "What happened to their mother?" he asked.

"She died." Katyusha said without a beat. Arthur immediately regretted the question. "Childbirth I'm afraid." Silence. "Look, let's get off this topic. Right now it's a happy moment. In three hours your party will start and-"

"Three hours?" Arthur said, his eyes widening.

"Y-yes," Katyusha said in surprise.

"Dammit! I'm going to be late! Ludwig is probably shitting his pants right now."

"Oh well then you must hurry, yes?"

"Yeah, but this building is like a bloody maze. And I don't even know where to start!" Arthur slumped his shoulders and sighed in defeat.

"Well why don't you just take the elevator?" Katyusha said, pointing down the hallway in the direction of the elevator.

"You…have an elevator?"

She nodded.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. _Of all things that could have avoided, I could have taken... NEVERMIND! I don't have time for this, Father will be upset if I'm not back soon and that be worse than both Natalia and Ivan combined. _He thought in slight irritation.

He shuddered at the thought and started to make his way to the elevator. He thanked Katyusha for saving him from her crazy sister and made his way back to the entrance of the store. He passed the fat brown cat again and smiled.

He pushed the door open and made a record breaking time to the coach since the crowd had vanished and made their way towards the castle. Ludwig gracefully made his way back to his seat and cracked the whip. The horses tousled back into their uniform trots and headed back to the castle. Ludwig turned around and looked at Arthur, who looked like he barely escaped certain death.

"You look as if you've seen death himself, did you get lost?" he joked.

"No… but I almost did die though," he laughed.

"I see…I never did trust those damn Eiksurs," Ludwig confessed with a smirk.

"Yeah… but some of them are…decent." Arthur thought of Toris, Eduard, Ravis, and Katyusha and smiled a bit. "Some are just hidden by the stereotypical types." He then thought of Ivan and Natalia and shuddered.

Peter walked up to his brother with a smile hanging on his lips.

"So what did you get that was so important?" he asked with curious eyes

Arthur's own eyes widened. He had completely forgotten the reason why he went to the store for. He searched frantically for the gift and pulled it out of his pocket.

"This is it," he said proudly, showing Peter the gift.

"This is it?" Peter repeated in disappointment, "You dragged me to town…for a book?"

"First of all, you begged to come because you didn't want to deal with Father," Arthur sneered. "And second, this isn't just any book. It's a very valuable book."

"Well what book is it?" Ludwig interrupted, even though he knew what it was already.

"Excellent question," Arthur said with a gleam in his eyes. He opened the book and drowned himself with its words devouring each sentence with his eyes. "It's one of the limited editions of the first Sherlock book ever created," he answered not even looking up from the book once.

* * *

**A/N Update(Aug 2013): **Well if some of you couldn't tell, the country names are just backwards. I also decided to keep the language the same though. So in conclusion backwards country same language. Also, yes Sherlock is a reference to Sherlock Holmes.

**A/N:** Ahh Iggy ~ The stuff I put you through for a book...please R & R and I'll get back to you soon.


	2. Family

**Chapter Two**

**Family**

The sun was a third hidden behind the mountain range when the carriage pulled into arc driveway. Servants were searching frantically for the two princes, but as soon as they saw the carriage they groaned in unison. Ludwig roughly tugged on the reigns saying 'Anschlag', which was Namreg for stop. The horses snorted a gawked their heads in an upward motion pulling on each other's yolk in a panicked manner and clicking their hoofs on the gravel. Ludwig jumped off his seat and touched one of the majestic beast's necks and brought his face in close.

"Relax," he whispered.

And it did.

He smiled and pulled away from the horses and opened the door to the coach, and the two boys jumped out as if they just came from a small party. They started walking towards the entrance of the castle as the gravel sank underneath their feet. The both of them gulped as they saw the flight of stairs and the front door wide open. They both knew that someone was waiting for them, and normally it was their Father.

"So what's the story this time?" Peter whispered under his breath.

"I don't know yet. I'm still thinking," Arthur responded back, as he made his way up the steps.

"What? You normally have a story… man we're going to get into so much-"

"Boys," a voice interrupted.

They turned to see a woman was waiting for them on the top step. Her dirty blond hair was elegantly wrapped in extravagant curls and her dress was a deep shade of red with long black lacy frills. Her face was completely covered in powdered makeup making her appear like a ghost and her lips wine red. She was beautiful. Arthur and Peter stared at her for a moment with worried eyes, but then relaxed. She was smiling at them.

"I seriously don't know what I'm going to do with you two," she said as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Hello, Mother," Arthur said sheepishly.

"Hello, Arthur," she cooed.

"MUM!" Peter ran to his mother and planted his face into her bosom.

"Careful Peter dear, your mother is very unstable in a corset," she said gingerly.

The young boy looked at his mother with a smile. "Before I get into any trouble I would like to say…that this was all Arthur's fault!"

"It was not, you cod!" Arthur snapped in defense.

Their mother laughed lightly and they immediately stopped bickering.

"Well I'm sure whoever's fault it is, it'll be forgiven," she said sweetly.

Their eyes lit up in unison and they both hugged her.

"Thank you Mother!" Arthur said as ran up to her and kissed her cheek.

"Yes, thank you Mum. You're the best mum in the world," Peter followed; placing small kisses on her other cheek.

"Thank you boys, you're too kind." Her face was beaming. "But seriously, if you don't hurry back inside the house and get ready your Father will have a panic attack."

Arthur stiffened at the word _father_.

"…Does he know we've been out?" Arthur muttered quietly.

Her smile dropped and she glanced at him sympathetically. She understood his feelings towards his father and how much his father hated the life outside the gate. "No, I don't believe he knows yet, but he's been looking for you. He says he wants to talk to you."

"Oh bloody hell," Arthur snarled.

"Watch your tongue young man, and I actually don't know what it's about for a change. So it may be good."

"Doubt it," Arthur said in an ill-tempered manner.

"Well you never know until you talk to him, so hurry up," she commanded softly.

"Alright, alright. I'm going."

Arthur slipped into the house sluggishly and his mother just smiled at his immature approach at this.

_Oh Arthur, you've grown so much. It makes me a bit sad to see you like this._ She thought as her grin slightly fell. She then turned and looked at Peter. _Well at least I have your brother to look forward to after you leave for the world._

Ludwig reached the top step and gave a bow. "Your Majesty, it's nice to see that you're doing well."

"Ludwig. Faithful as ever I see. And how many times do I have to tell you to call me Elizabeth?" she said pursing her lips.

"My apologies Your Majes- Miss Elizabeth."

She smiled and turned towards Peter. "I can't imagine how you manage to put up with these two," she said ruffling Peter's hair.

"Hey! I'm the good and innocent, remember?" Peter said in defense.

"I know, I'm just teasing with you," she laughed.

"As you always are, Miss Elizabeth," Ludwig said with a low bow.

They gave each other a smile as Peter pouted. He didn't think it was fair that he didn't understand "grown-up" humor.

The sound of braying horses was heard all the way from the top step and Ludwig started to make his way down the stairs remembering that he forgot to put them away.

"Ah, Ludwig I almost forgot!" she said, stopping him in his tracks.

"What is it, Miss Elizabeth?"

"I just wanted to let you know that your brother, Gilbert, is here in Nodnol. Apparently Francis and him heard about Arthur's party, so they invited themselves over." she said with gentle smile.

His face paled. "Oh no…"

Elizabeth giggled and covered her mouth with her dainty fingers. "What's the matter, I would've thought that you'd be more enthusiastic about hearing good news about your brother appearance."

"Good news, yes. Enthusiastic. Not so much."

"May I ask why?" she questioned, tilting her head and curling her lips in an amused way.

He sighed and rubbed the back of her head. "Remember how you asked how I was able to put up with your sons?"

She nodded.

"It's because compared to him…those two are saints."

Her eyes widened in disbelief; then she laughed again.

"I-I see," she snickered, "well then, best of luck to you Ludwig."

"Your prayers and wishes keep me going, Miss Elizabeth."

With that last sentence he made his way down the steps. She watched him leave then also made her way to the house.

"Come Peter dear, the maids prepared a bath for you," she said taking his hand.

"Aww, do I have to?" he whined childishly.

"Yes, but don't worry. I requested that they put bubbles and some toy boats, since I know how much you like them."

A gleam of happiness sparked in his sky blue eyes. "_R_-_really_? I-I mean…really? Mum I'm no longer a baby anymore, so I don't need bubbles and toy boats in my bath anymo-"

"I also requested that you'd be able to wear your sailor hat," she finished with a smile.

"If you need me I'll be in the tub."

He ran into the house and up the spiral staircase to the bathroom as his mom shook her head.

_That's what I thought. _She thought triumphantly.

She stopped in the middle of the main hall and watched all the servants prepare the rest of the party with more ribbons and lights. The cake passed by a silver platter and was five layers high with a golden lion decoration on top. Arthur's suit was now being brought to his room. She sighed.

_Arthur…I hope your meeting with your father goes well._

Arthur walked slowly down the hall till he reached two oak doors. They were ridiculously large and it's designs almost God like. The doorknobs were shaped as lions on their hind legs facing each. It looked as if they were prepared for battle. He sighed and placed a hand one of the doorknobs. Nervousness entered his bloodstream and his vision blurred as sweat beaded from his face. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath pulling heaven's golden gate open. His eyes scanned the room making out portraits of ancestors, a map of the world, and a large crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling. He covered his eyes due to the brightness in room and then he saw him.

_Father…_

He was wearing a royal robe that draped all the way from his shoulder to the floor. His face was a light cream with a shade of turnip red and his emerald green eyes like daggers. He was a fairly large man, but not because of fat. His father was an infamous jouster in the kingdom and he liked to train everyday with some servants that had nothing better to do. Of course, he always won. He turned to look at Arthur with a half disgusted and half pitiful look. Arthur returned the stare with much animosity, but covered it very well with a forced half smile.

"You called Father?" Arthur said, attempting to keep a respectful tone.

"Yes, I did actually," his father said, pacing around the room with his hands behind his back. Arthur detested him when he did this. "Are you aware about the peasants in Nodnol?"

Arthur bit his lip.

"Yes, why do you ask?" he asked, keeping his tone calm.

"Disgusting rats, don't you agree?" his father asked.

Arthur kept silent.

"But of course, you're no rat, am I right?" he said, placing a hand on Arthur's shoulder. Their emerald green eyes locked in place. "No _royal_ son of mine shall ever play with filthy rats. I've raised you better than that, right?"

_You've never raised me, you fat-ass bastard._

Or at least that's what he wanted to say, but instead he nodded like the respectful son that his father wanted. "You're absolutely correct, Father," he said with some slight venom.

His father's eyes squinted into a small glare and released his shoulder and continued to pace around the room.

"Excellent to hear that, my boy, but I've noticed something a bit strange. Would you like to listen? I'm sure it'll amuse you as it did me."

Arthur continued to say nothing, but anger started to swell in the pit of his stomach.

"I just recently went to our library in need of a book," his father started." I just wanted a book that's all. I then realized that our library, _somehow_, obtained new books that I had never seen before, nor have I ever purchased. I requested an investigation on the matter, and I soon found out that the books were from a store called The Little Scarf down in the streets of Nodnol. Now I'm thinking, '_How the hell did we get books that I've never ordered?' _Then it hit me: Who else, besides me, enjoys the company of reading?" He was back at Arthur's feet and easily grabbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger, forcing Arthur to look directly in his eyes. "Now tell me, have _you_ been down to this Little Scarf lately?"

Arthur growled and roughly pulled his chin away from his father's grip. "This is ridiculous. I'm not going to stand here and being interrogated by my own father on my birthday." He gave a low growl and whipped his body around. "If you need me, I'll be in my room getting ready."

He started for the door, but something fell out of his pocket and hit the ground. His heart sank.

"Oh…what's this?" his father cooed, reaching for the book.

"I-it's nothing," Arthur stuttered. "Give it back and I'll put it away."

"It doesn't seem like it's nothing if it makes you cower before your Father."

Arthur tried to take it back from his father, but he raised it in a high position that he had to jump for it.

"Give it back you damn cod!" Arthur snapped.

Immediately a hand traced across his face and a sharp pain surrounded his cheek as he fell backwards. Arthur brought a hand to his face a rubbed the tender area.

"Know your place, child!" his father hissed furiously. "This is ridiculous! Me having to discipline my own child in something he should have known. Disgusting. And all for this God damn book! What's so special about this book?" He looked at the cover of the book. "Sherlock? This isn't in our…"

Arthur's eyes shrank.

"Father I-"

"Silence, boy!"

A moment of silence passed as his father examined the details of the book. With each second that passed Arthur felt his life end. His father then looked at him with cross eyes.

"You lied."

"I had to!" Arthur argued.

"YOU LIED TO YOUR OWN FATHER!" he roared. He slammed the book on the table and snarled ferociously. "After all that I've done for you, this…this is how you repay me? By going to the slums to get dirty books?! Well I know the perfect punishment for your crime."

"Father!"

His father took the book and walked to the fireplace that was currently dying. Arthur's heart sank as he stood up and ran to his father.

"Father, stop!" he screamed.

"This will show you not to lie to your father; you are now banished from the library _permanently_!"

Time slowed down in Arthur's head as he watched his father throw the book in. The fire roared to life as it ate away at the leather covering and the pages crinkled into small balls of ashes. Shapes of demons erupted on the wall from the flames shadows, and the book soon became nothing but a quick memory. Arthur could have sworn he heard it crying in pain, but at the moment he was too shocked to care. He fell to his knees in disbelief and just continued to watch the fire taunt him.

"Now Arthur, you're a full grown man there's no need to cry over a silly book," his father hissed. He stood next to his son and glared at him with spiteful eyes. "Stand up; no one likes a weak man for a ruler."

"…You're right," Arthur mumbled. He stood up and swallowed hard. "No one wants a weak ruler. I apologize for any poor manners that I presented at the moment, it won't happen again."

His father smiled. "That's more like it. Now hurry to your room and get ready for the party. I have a surprise for you."

"Yes, Father," Arthur said broken.

He trudged out the room and slowly closed the door. He walked down the hallway and opened the door to his room. The lights slowly hummed to life and his room became alive. The idea of his father burning the book that Katyusha tried so hard to get for hasn't hit him yet, but when it did he snapped.

He grabbed a glass candle stand and threw it across the room smashing it to pieces. His next victim was his pillow and he punched that till all the feathers came out. It was hard for him to see the glass on the floor so he stepped on a few pieces and crashed down like an angry boar in a trap and fell with a loud thud. He snarled loudly and noticed a large piece of glass. Then, an idea popped into his head.

_If I kill myself…I won't have to worry about that fucking fat-ass cod ruining my life._

And with that thought he brought the piece of glass to his chest and attempted to drive it into his chest, but something hit his hand making him let go of the glass. He growled in anger as he scanned the room for something that stopped him from ending his life.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk…poor Arthur driven to madness like a wild animal. Such a sad sight to see," said voice called out.

_That voice…it could only be-_

"Ohonhonhon~ but look, it is I, Francis, to come and rescue this foul beast!"

A man that looked the age of twenty-six dropped in the balcony making a perfect landing. His long blond hair flew in the wind as he gracefully floated into Arthur's room and stood next to the actual person.

"Sod off you damn frog," Arthur hissed, "can't you tell I'm trying to kill myself? I have no time for your games."

"Oh but Arthur I cannot do that. I'm the only one that's allowed to kill you," Francis joked, flashing Arthur a smile.

"Then do it now, I have no reason for living," Arthur mumbled.

"Huh?! Is there something wrong?" Francis asked completely shocked. Arthur sighed and covered his forehead with the back of his hand, and then he immediately knew. "Another fight with your old man I assume? Mon cher, you must not fight, but instead spread l'amour!"

"Shut the hell up with your stupid language. It's absolutely appalling when you speak your native tongue." Arthur sneered.

Francis's lips curled into a pout. "Well I'm absolutely offended_._"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Whatever. On the other hand, how can I love a person like that bastard? I don't even see how my mother does it," he barked.

"Only l'amour knows mon cher," Francis purred. "That reminds how is your mother, is she doing well?" He asked, his face beaming.

Arthur punched his face in disgust and grunted. "Two things: one, your '_l'amour' _doesn't seem to have any logic in my world, and two… don't you _ever_ ask how my mom is doing. It's really creepy."

Francis cringed as he touched his cheek and laughed. "It's nice to see that you're doing better."

"Yeah, but that's because I got to hit you today," Arthur said smugly.

"Well then you should let me get a swing back," Francis said giving a devilish smile.

"As if!"

Arthur tackled Francis pinning him to the ground attempting to punch his face, but Francis caught it and held a tight grip.

"Oh it seems you've grown a bit petite, mon cher," Francis teased.

"Shut up! Who cares if you caught one hand? I don't need it to kick your ass," Arthur snarled.

"Oh really?"

Francis kicked Arthur's legs apart making him collapse towards his chest. He then disappeared making Arthur gasp. Sudden weight was applied on Arthur as he slammed into the ground. His arms were then suspended in the air and Francis kept a foot on his back.

"Let me go!" Arthur screamed.

"You know the rules," Francis cooed.

"Okay! I give, I give!"

"Very good, looks like the beast can be taught. Let's see, Francis: 15, Arthur: 0. Looks like I win again," he purred, releasing Arthur's hands.

"T-that's only because I'm tired," Arthur fibbed dusting himself off.

Francis offered him and hoisted him off the ground. "Whatever you say, mon cher. That reminds me…CONGRATULATIONS!"

"Huh? What the hell are you talking about?" Arthur asked, confusion washing over his face.

Francis's face began to beam. "I heard that you're getting married, so there is still hope for you! Is she beautiful? Does she have any sisters or friends?"

"_Married_? I'm not getting married!" Arthur squeaked in complete horror.

"Eh? That can't be true. Your Father told me himself that you were getting married next month…"

"_Next month_? Impossible, I didn't even know about this," Arthur muttered under his breath. He suddenly remembered that his father had something to tell later. "Oh hell…I'm going to kill that bastard."

"Who?"

"My father of course; I'm guessing he was going to tell me before the party, or worse…announce my engagement during the party." Arthur felt the room spin at the thought and he held his head.

"Mon cher…" Francis started, placing a supporting hand on Arthur's shoulder, "I'm guessing you haven't even seen your umm, fiancé yet?"

Arthur glared at him then roughly pushed his hand off. "Of course not!"

"Sorry, it was just question, so…do you think she has any friends?"

Arthur punched him in the face again, but this time the other cheek.

"Seriously can't you think of anything _besides_ sex?" Arthur hissed.

Francis laughed and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Oui! I think of women and their beautiful bodies!" He was radiating at this point.

Arthur groaned.

_Why do I even bother?_

"That reminds me Arthur you're still a virgin, oui?" Francis asked, pursing his lips into a devilish smile.

Arthur flushed a salmon shade of pink and turned away at the question. "O-of course I am you damn frog. Unlike you, I want to save my moment with someone special." His blush deepened.

He turned to see Francis a few feet away from his face and he backed away in embarrassment.

"Must you stand so close?"

He started pacing around his room picking up any broken fragments of glass off the floor.

"No need to be timid!" Francis started to get into a romantic mode and danced around the room as he made large circular hand gestures. Once in awhile he embraced himself or placed a hand over his heart. "I think it's fantastic that you're willing to wait. Plus, every man knows that their best friend is his right hand~"

Arthur threw a piece of glass at Francis's head, but he easily dodged.

"You're absolutely disgusting!" he screamed sheepishly.

"Oh, but I'm not as bad as you. I just recently heard that you got caught 'doing business' from one of the characters in your books. You know if you're ever lonely you could always asked me," Francis teased giving Arthur a playful wink, but the sandy blond didn't seemed amused.

"Get. Out." Arthur snarled threateningly.

Francis finally took the hint. "Oh well would you look at the time, Gilbert should here anyways, so I might want to hurry before he worries. I'll see you around, mon cher~"

Arthur chased him out towards his balcony with a glass shard in his hand, but Francis managed to jump off and landed on the roof of a moving carriage. Arthur watched from the edge as he heard the driver yell like a banshee.

"I'll see you tonight, Your Highness!" the man hollered.

"Yeah, that's if I don't get Ludwig the kill your albino ass, Gilbert!" he yelled back with a smile.

With that Francis and Gilbert were out the main gate. Arthur pulled himself into the room and closed the windows. He cleaned up the rest of glass on the floor and sighed.

_I made a mess today._

A knock on the door made him jump out of his skin.

"C-come in," he squeaked.

The door slammed open with a force of wind following, and an irritated girl walked in with a sour look on her face. Her blonde pigtails bounced around her small face, and she had crossed her arms across her chest. She tapped her toe in a quick pace and pushed her glasses to her green eyes with her forefinger.

"Father and Mother would like to speak to you," she snapped.

"Tell them they can wait Alice," Arthur said with a uninterested sigh. He then flashed a sarcastic smile. "And have I told you lately how hideous you look in blue?"

Her face scrunched in irritation. "Yes. Plenty of times. And no, how about you tell them?"

She grabbed her brother by the ear and dragged him out of the room mumbling on how she couldn't believe that she was related to this guy. Arthur tried to pull from her grasp, but the more he attempted the harder she pinched.

"Okay Alice! Oww stop! That hurts!" he repeated over and over again.

She clicked her tongue in irritation. "As if I'm letting you go. Last time I did, I got in trouble with Father and he banned me from the garden for a week," she hissed.

"Well that's what you get for being a dumb blonde," he teased.

She stopped. "What. Did. You. Say?"

"Oh, pardon did I not make myself clear? Let me say it again: THAT'S. WHAT. YOU. GET. FOR. BEING. A. DUMB. BLONDE." He gave a devilish smirked and waited for his plan to hatch.

"…That's it," she muttered.

She let go of his ears and her green eyes became daggers with fire.

"I'm going to fucking kill you!" Alice roared.

"Not if you can't catch me first!"

"Huh?"

She then realized that she just made a mistake, because not only was her brother smart, he was very fast. She watched as her brother jetted past her like a bullet and turned the corner.

"Shit, Father is going to be so angry with me," she whimpered as she quickened her pace.

Arthur quickly ran passed maids and butlers, and shot around corners. _Heh, that dumb sister of mine won't being able to catch m-_

Arthur collided with a body and fell backwards, and Ludwig eyes widen as he realized that he just made the prince fall.

"Hey watch where you're going!" he said as he rubbed his nose.

"My apologies, Your Highness. I didn't realize that you were down here," Ludwig said, offering him a hand.

Arthur took his hand and lifted himself off the ground.

"May I ask what you're doing here? Aren't you supposed to be preparing for the party already?" Ludwig asked, dusting Arthur off.

"Well the funny story is-"

Alice then turned the corner with a screech and caught Arthur in her sights.

"THERE YOU ARE!" she yelled, "LUDWIG, DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY!"

The two of them looked at each other and Arthur gave Ludwig a sly smile.

"You're going to let me get away, right?" he chirped.

His bodyguard kept a serious gaze.

"No."

"W-what? Why not?" Arthur pouted.

"Because, I heard that what your parents need to talk to you about is extremely important for you _and_ for Nodnol."

"But I-"

"No buts. This is my final decision." He hoisted Arthur over his shoulder and held on tightly as the sandy blond struggled in his arms.

"Unhand me!" Arthur commanded, hitting Ludwig's back with his fist, but it didn't seem to affect him that much.

Alice caught up with Ludwig and was completely out of breath.

"Thanks. For. Catching. Him. Lud. Wig." she said between each rest.

"No problem, Miss Alice. Now if you don't mind I have a delivery to attend to."

Alice nodded and moved out of the way allowing Ludwig to pass. When she saw Arthur's face it darkened into a sardonic smile. Arthur returned the smile and flipped the bird twice, but she thought nothing of it. Before Ludwig managed to turn the corner he heard Alice calling out to him.

"Ludwig, please don't ever hesitate to just call me Alice." She said with a sweet fashion and flushing cheeks.

"I'll remember that, Miss Alice," he responded, not even turning around.

Arthur snickered slightly. "Looks like you have a small crush on your hands."

"Yes, but she's too young." Ludwig sighed and shifted Arthur to his other shoulder with ease.

"Hey easy their muscle man, I bruise easily."

"My apologies."

He finally put Arthur on the ground and he was back in front of heaven's golden gates, but this time for judgment. Arthur sighed and looked at Ludwig with fear in his eyes.

"Will you come in with me?" he asked.

"I'm sorry, you know I'm not allowed in there," Ludwig responded with an apologetic look.

"Right, sorry. Well wish me luck."

"Always do."

Arthur reached for the door again and pushed it open with the same reaction of blocking his eyes, but this time his nerves were more under control since his mother was in the room this time. He saw her smiling at him, but this one was more different than the one from earlier. It was filled with excitement.

"Oh my dear Arthur!" she said running up to him and planting a kiss on his forehead.

_Oh God, what is it this time?_

"I'm so excited for you! Your Father just told me some wonderful news," she said with complete excitement.

Arthur laughed weakly. "I-I see…"

_She tends to get all hyper when she gets excited, but that's what makes her a great mother…I suppose._

He looked at his father with hateful eyes expecting the same, but instead he saw something completely new: joy. His father walked to Arthur and pulled him into a giant bear hug.

"Oh my dear boy! I'm proud to say I have found you a wife, and not just any wife. No, this woman is a descendant of eastern royalty, and she's coming tonight for your guy's official meeting!"

He released Arthur, who choked for air.

_Fucking limey._

"You never told me that she was coming tonight! Oh this is so exciting dear, what's the girl's name?" Elizabeth asked.

"Honda, Honda Mameko. And look, the emperor even sent us some pictures," his father chortled.

He shoved the pictures in Arthur's, who didn't seem interested whatsoever. The girl had short black hair, mellow black coffee and a cute smile, but her figure was a bit small and she had no chest. The one thing that Arthur did notice was that she was holding a book. He couldn't make out the title, but he could tell from the craftsmanship of the covering that it looked very interesting book.

"Isn't she just adorable Arthur? She's from Napaj!" his father huffed proudly.

_Old man, a word of advice: never say adorable again. _Arthur thought bitterly.

"Henry dear, we must announce their engagement at the party tonight!" Elizabeth chirped.

_Wait what? _Arthur thought, his eyes widening.

"Yes we must, no wait I have a better idea. We'll have Arthur do it! He's a grown man and he's responsible enough to spea-"

"No," Arthur said bluntly.

Both of his parents stopped immediately and looked at him.

"A-Arthur dear, what do you mean _no?"_ his mother asked confused.

"I'm not marrying her," he responded coldly.

"Of course you are! I already made the arrangements, invitations…everything!" his father said, his voice rising in anger.

"Well just stop the arrangements and don't send the invitations then," Arthur snapped. His hands were balled into fist.

"Why you ungrateful brat," his father said venomously, "Don't you understand what this marriage means for your country? You should be honored to be doi-"

Elizabeth placed a hand on her husband's shoulder and he turned towards her. She shook her head and smiled and Henry relaxed. She walked up to her son and gingerly placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Arthur, dear…why don't you want to get married?"

His eyes suddenly flickered into something that looked betrayed when he heard that. The look in his eyes looked so hurt eyes that it made her flinch.

"You…you of all people should know, but I guess I was wrong," he muttered.

"A-Arthur," she whispered in an apologetic tone.

He pulled away from her grip and made his way to the door.

"Don't walk away from your mother, young man!" his father roared.

A nerve finally snapped in Arthur when he heard that.

"What gives you the right to speak to me you fucking limey! I bet you never loved Mother when you married her either, and I bet you still don't love her!"

His father eyes bulged in rage as his mother just looked at him with hurt eyes. He turned towards his mother and scoffed then walked out the door making sure he slammed it nice and tight. No one moved after that. His father then started swearing up a storm and left the chamber for jousting match to calm his nerves. Elizabeth walked out as well to see Ludwig standing outside the door. She bit her lip and gave a weak laugh.

"Nice night isn't it Ludwig?" she said with a strained voice.

"Miss Elizabeth?" Ludwig asked in concern.

Elizabeth sighed in defeat and turned towards him. "I'm sure you heard everything, right Ludwig?" she mumbled.

"…Yes."

She sighed heavier. "Then tell me: am I a terrible mother?"

He shook his head no. "Of course not, you're an absolute wonderful mother that loves her children and country dearly."

"But what he said in there…do you think it's true? Am I the person that let him down the most?" she asked sadly.

Ludwig gave a small laugh. "Your Highness, trust me when I say this: you are the last person that he hates in the world. In fact, you're the person he loves the most, but I guess sons have their moments when they get angry at their mothers."

"Yes, I suppose. He's a bit scary when he's angry. I believe he gets that from his father," she said lightly. Ludwig laughed again and Elizabeth blushed slightly. "Well it's true!"

"Whatever you say, Miss Elizabeth."

They broke into a light laugh and Elizabeth's mood completely lifted.

"I-I think I'm going to talk to him," she finally said looking down the hallway.

"Would you like a lift?" Ludwig said offering a shoulder.

"Why certainly, thank you Ludwig."

She flashed him a warm smile as Ludwig hoisted her on his shoulder holding her legs in his arms, so that she was able to sit comfortably on his shoulder.

"Now be careful this might be a bumpy ride," he warned.

"Don't worry, I've been through alot and this isn't much."

Ludwig smiled at her enthusiasm.

_Whatever you say...Elizabeth._

Arthur was back into his room, but he was no longer angry. He sat on his bed as guilt gnawed at his conscience.

_I'm so stupid! I'm probably the biggest asshole in the world for yelling at his mother._

He grabbed a pillow and threw it at the wall then fell backwards on his bed. His eyes traced the designs on his ceilings and became mesmerized within their pattern. A knock on the door broke his concentration.

"Come in," he said weakly.

The door slowly creaked open and his mother slowly walked in. Guilt and shame immediately flushed over, so turned his back towards her. She frowned and walked in closing the door behind her.

"Arthur dear, are you mad at me?" she asked hoping for a response.

_No _is what he wanted to say, but he remained silent.

She sighed and sat on the bed next to him. "Well I wouldn't blame you if you are, and I understand if you ignore me for the rest of the night. I would do the same if I forced myself into a marriage."

_But you were in an arranged marriage…and with a complete bastard!_

But he pleaded silent.

When she hear no response, she decided to give up and stood up. She dusted off her dress and started to head for the door, but the sound of the bed sheets ruffling stopped her.

"I-I'm not mad at you," Arthur said weakly as he sat up.

She turned and gave him a weak smile.

"T-that's good," she responded with relief.

She returned to her spot on the bed and pulled Arthur into a hug. "I'm sorry; I just got excited about a wedding and all that I forgot how you might have felt about it."

Arthur returned the hug and the guilt he felt earlier lifted. "It's fine. Plus I was out of place when I said all that stuff back there. I didn't mean any of it."

He heard his mom start sniffling and he pulled her away wiping away a tear that appeared from the corner of her eye. She then smiled lightly and managed a weak laugh.

"Sorry I know I can be such a crybaby," she whimpered sheepishly.

Arthur laughed. "I know."

Elizabeth pouted in disagreement, but then started to laugh.

"T-thank you, I needed that."

"Well I was just remembering what you told me when I was younger: when one person cries all of Nodnol cries with you. And so I didn't want all the party guest to start crying because of their queen."

She tilted her head amusement. "You actually remember that?"

"Yes, after twenty-three years of horrible cooking, frilly clothes, and being mistaken as a girl, I managed to remember that," he chuckled.

His mother pouted. "Hey I at least tried to make you feel better when you were sick."

"And you did, so thank you."

She smiled but slowly it grew sad.

"It kind of makes me sad to see you all grown-up. I just wish sometimes that you could stay home forever, but as a prince you must leave for training and get married and everything. I just don't know what to do anymore," she said with a sigh.

_Mom… _Arthur thought with a small frown.

She looked at her son with a gleam of hope. "But don't worry about me. I'm a tough girl, so I'll be fine…even after you're gone."

"Well it's not like I'm going to be gone forever," he reassured.

"I know…I just wanted to sound cool for a moment," she joked.

They both laughed and stopped at the same time. She then looked at her no longer baby boy and smiled. She pulled him closer and kissed his forehead. Arthur blushed at this motion, but he enjoyed the moments that she did this. When she pulled away she gave him a sad yet happy look.

"Arthur, I want you to promise me that when you're on your own…that you'll fight for something you feel like needs to be fought for, and you won't let anyone stop you. Not even your father." He nodded in obedience and she smiled as if a heavy burden was lifted from her heart. "That's my boy."

She then reached inside her sleeve and pulled out a perfectly wrapped present. Its snowy white covering glistened as the silver lining around it curled perfectly.

"Here, it's a little something from me, but don't open it just yet. I want you to open it when you feel like the time is right, and no, right now or the rest of tonight is not that time."

He took the gift from her hand and smiled.

_It's a book…_

"I heard from Ludwig that you've eagerly looking for this, so when I heard about it, I immediately went and got it for you," she confessed in embarrassment.

Arthur tried hard not to tear up, so he released a breath of air through thin lips. "Thank you…for everything," Arthur said sincerely.

She stood up and tousled his sandy blond hair.

"Don't say it like that, you make me seem like a senile old woman," she teased.

She then headed for the door and gave him one more smile and mouthed '_I love you' _before disappearing into the hallway. Arthur sighed and tossed the gift on his desk. The Grandfather clock the ticked in its rhythmic pattern and it currently read 9:37. He sighed and looked at himself in the mirror.

_Well I might as well get ready for another crummy birthday party._

* * *

**A/N Update (Aug. 7, 2013): **If you guys weren't able to notice some of the changes, the country names are literally backwards as for the language I kept it the same. Too lazy to actually change I did some research and I changed Fem!Japan's name to something that really existed.

**A/N: **Hey look I got back to you soon (but don't expect this to be daily update story). Well that's the whole family for you in a nutshell, and yes Arthur's dad is a complete dick, but his mother is a complete saint. His sister, Alice, is technically the female version him, so yes they're fraternal type twins around the same age, but Arthur is 23 and Alice is 22 (Ludwig considers her young mature wise). If people are confused on the rest of the cast is here's a list:

Ludwig = Germany

Peter = Sealand

Francis = France

Gilbert = Prussia

Alice = Female version of England

Ivan = Russia

Toris = Lithuania

Eduard = Estonia

Ravis = Latvia

Natalya = Belarus

Katyusha = Ukraine

I'll update it later when more countries come in. Also since it was Mother's Day today, I decided to type this chapter up because one; it's a special day today, and two; Arthur's mother needed some love so I decided to put this chapter up. Also, I introduced a few more characters just to create the feeling of Arthur's home life. Francis in this story is like the best friend type of relationship. They keep each other going with their competitive spirit. Anyways we'll get a short intro on Alfred next chapter (and I literally mean short). I'll probably clean it up later, but reviews, favorites, or anything is appreciated and I want to thank the people who did so last chapter.


	3. Party

**Chapter Three**

**Party**

The sound of violins humming to life floated in the ballroom and light chatter murmured downstairs. Alice walked down the hallway as her pointed heels clicked underneath in a quick pattern. Her sandy blonde hair, now out of the ponytails and ironed flat, stuck to the side of her glasses and determination flashed in her eyes. She blew off random strands out of her face and made a complete stop at a door with her hands on her hips. A devilish smirk pursed on her lips.

"Arthur! Get your ass downstairs, everyone is waiting for you," she hollered as she pounded on the door violently.

Inside the room, Arthur adjusted his tie and scuffed his collar as he looked at himself in the mirror completely ignoring his sister.

_Damn, I look good._ He thought with an arrogant smile.

The door was then kicked down and Alice entered in adjusting her hair and glasses. "Did you hear me, you piece shit?" she hissed as her eyes slanted, giving an evil glare.

"Obviously, I mean who couldn't hear you when you're screaming like a banshee?" he said smugly, tugging on his collar one final time.

She scoffed and crossed her arms. "You're lucky it's your birthday, or else I would have killed you right now."

"I would like to see you try," he said, flashing a sarcastic smile.

"Don't test me," she warned.

He walked passed her and tousled her hair.

"But it's my job," he teased.

Alice growled quietly, but readjusted her hair and followed him out the door and to the ballroom hall. The two walked in silence as the sound of their shoes clicked simultaneously and the party noises grew closer.

"Nervous?" she asked quietly as she closed her eyes.

"Not really, it's the same every year so there's no reason to be," he responded, also closing his eyes.

Almost as if rehearsed, they stopped in front of two solid white doors and opened their eyes. Arthur reached for the doorknob, but hearing his sister sigh stopped him. He turned around with full attention only to be greeted once again with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Not about that,you git! I mean about meeting your fiancé."

Arthur's eyes widened. "How did you-"

"Mother told me of course."

A gnawing twisted feeling sank in his stomach and his face paled. He looked towards the ground, shuffled his feet and furrowed his eyebrows.

_Of course Alice would know; her and Mother are close as well._

Arthur sighed and let go of the doorknob. "To be honest: yes. I've never really dated girls none the less talked to them, so I don't even know how I'm going to deal with _marrying _someone I don't even know about."

"Well that's because you're a hopeless boy with no sense of regard for a girl's fragile heart," Alice snickered.

Arthur continued to look at the ground in dismay.

"Wow nothing?" Alice sighed and walked up to her brother placing a hand on his shoulder. "Hey look, don't worry about it. Sure we get into fights and everything, but you're the perfect gentleman in my opinion, well besides Ludwig. And I'm sure that the girl you're marrying will be extremely lucky to meet someone like you."

"You really think that Alice?" Arthur asked smiling at her.

"D-don't get me wrong, you're still an annoying older brother," she stuttered as a shade of pink flushed on her cheeks. "But you seemed down, s-so I'm just trying to cheer you up."

She looked away and puffed her cheeks, but Arthur couldn't help but laugh at his sister's shyness.

"B-bloody wanker," she huffed.

"What was that?"

"N-nothing."

She regained her composure and smiled looking at Arthur with excited eyes; immediately he knew what that meant.

"That reminds me," she said as she pulled out a gift wrapped in gold and handed it to Arthur. "Happy Birthday!"

"T-thanks," he muttered in surprise.

He traced his fingers over the smooth metallic gold covering and smiled.

_I wonder what book she got me this year…_

An electrical filling swelled as with each sound of the wrapping tearing came to his ears, but when he was finished utter shock washed over his face. Alice gave a twisted smile and pushed her glasses up with her fingers.

"Well, do you like it?"

"It's well…it's a-"

"It's a porn book obviously," she finished, "I heard from Peter that you got caught reading one of these, so I'm just here to remind you, that you, the prince of Nodnol and a grown man, still can't get laid."

Arthur growled silently. "Why you little wench."

He quickly swatted at her with the book, but she dodged and pushed the door open. A blast of music and voices reverberated in the hallways as the bright lights blinded Arthur. Alice made a dash through the crowd of people with complete accomplishment on her face, but Arthur just watched in the background with a smile and silently laughed.

_Well…she did seem to put some thought into this so thank you Alice._

He hid the book deep within the pockets of his dark suit and groaned. _Well here goes nothing._

He entered the ballroom and with each step the people turned with silent whispers. Their intense stares burned through his barrier and the nervousness started to appear in his palms. He started to suddenly feel claustrophobic and the room started to get hot fast, so he decided to start walking at a quicker pace. When time seemed to speed up again and the party continued, the people returned to their previous conversations completely ignoring him.

The sight of his mother relaxed Arthur a bit and he started to make his way, but a sudden tug on his collar stopped him.

"Hey! What's the rush Arthur?" said Francis as he whipped Arthur around.

His head spun as he settled next to Francis, who was being entertained with his drunken like manner. Nausea settled in Arthur's stomach when he finally stopped spinning, but the sight of an albino man with snowy white hair and blood red eyes completely changed his mood.

"Gilbert, you wanker," Arthur growled happily. They grabbed each other's forearm in a tight grip and smiled. "Can you make sure you keep your frogs in their cages?"

"Oh sorry, Arthur. I didn't realize that Francis was being a pest," the albino snickered.

"Hey, I thought you were on my side!" Francis whimpered.

"Not tonight, tonight I'm on Arthur's side because he's the one with the free beer." Gilbert said as he winked at Francis, wagging his finger in his face.

Arthur began to laugh as Francis puffed his cheeks out.

"Dear God, I don't know what's come over me, but that was really funny," Arthur said attempting to regain his breath.

Gilbert licked his top lip and swiped a finger underneath Arthur's chin propping it up making him to immediately contain his laughter and shudder. "We'll I'm glad that I was able to pleasure you this way," Gilbert purred. "But you know I can please you in other ways too~"

He brought his face in close but Arthur swatted his face away completely flushed.

"Y-you fucking creep! Get your hands of me!" he huffed in embarrassment. He crossed his arms and turned away. "You're lucky Ludwig isn't here or else I would have made him beat your ass to a pulp!"

Gilbert chuckled. "West? Nah he's busy at the moment." He pointed towards the bar and Arthur turned to see his bodyguard already flushed with drunkenness and yelling random phrases.

"Oh bugger," Arthur cursed.

Francis, a bit pissed off that he was completely ignored, wrapped his arms around their necks and pulled them in close, but when Arthur's and Gilbert's eyes locked it was a filled with irritation. They smiled at each other with intentions to kill.

"Now guys, no need to cause war! We must let l'amour take control of the night and push our differences aside!" Francis preached as he fluttered around, Arthur and Gilbert still struggling under his pits.

Arthur glanced at Gilbert with a stare that read r_eady when you are_, and an amused smile crept on the albino's face. They wrapped around Francis at opposite ends of his waist and held on tightly. Francis paled.

"Wh-what is the meaning of this?" Francis said struggling under the crushing weight.

The men smiled.

"One-"

"Two-"

"THREE!"

The both of lifted with their knees and brought Francis in the air, who was now flailing his arms in the air like a cat refusing to get into the water. With another grunt they pulled backwards causing Francis to fall on his back with a loud thud. Now smiling, Arthur and Gilbert wrapped their arms around each other's shoulders in accomplishment and laughed.

"You damn brat," Francis cursed under his breath as he rubbed the back of his head, wincing in pain each time he touched a tender area.

"Whoa there Francis, don't categorize me with this piece of shit," Gilbert said in defense. "He's not awesome enough to even be near me. The only reason why he's able to today is because it's his birthday. Other than that you wouldn't catch me near this guy!"

Arthur chuckled humorously. "The feeling is mutual. I'm too pretty and royal to being hanging out with him."

Gilbert tightened his grip around Arthur's neck as did Arthur around his, but they soon pulled away when a drunken Ludwig pulled into their group.

"H-hey G-Gilbert," Ludwig hiccupped.

Arthur laughed. _He's completely drunk!_

"Yo West, how's the beer?" he asked as he tried to pry the beer from his brother's hands, but Ludwig held a tight grip.

"H-hey, th-that's m-my be-beer," Ludwig slurred, attempting to keep balance but failing miserably. He fell forward and toppled over Francis who squeaked on impact.

"S-someone help me get this big oaf off of me!" he begged.

"Of course I will senor," a random voice called out.

Arthur and Gilbert turned to see a light tanned man appear before them. He had chocolate brown hair with a tang of orange, and his eyes as green as a light lime. A cocky smile was plastered on his lips and he wore a unique elegant black-and-white mask of an ox upon his head. Arthur couldn't help but growl at his presence.

"Antonio," Arthur said venomously. "I don't recall me inviting you out of your rat hole."

"Ah hola, Prince of Burros," His voice had a spicy flavor towards the end, and he returned with the same sense of venom, "If I may recall, I believe that _everybody _was invited, or am I wrong?"

Antonio flashed a white invitation in front of Arthur's face, who only cursed silently. Arthur then smiled smugly and crossed his arms.

"Well of course everyone was invited, but of course rats could have found that easily as well."

_Oh yeah let's see him recover from that one._

Arthur started to pump his fist in the air as Antonio furrowed his eyebrows in deep thought, but his eyes suddenly widen and a smile crept on his face.

"Well at least I don't look like a rat," he snickered.

Arthur immediately flushed in irritation. "Why you bloody tosser…"

He lunged at Antonio, who made a graceful side step and laughed in amusement. "Ole!"

Arthur growled and leapt again but collided into Gilbert, who snaked his to Arthur's back and pulled his arms behind his head.

"Wh-what in God's name are you doing Gilbert? Unhand me!" Arthur squirmed under Gilbert's grip, but with hands snaked around his arms it made it difficult.

"Sorry Arthur, but I got to help a bruder," Gilbert said with no sense of guilt. "Hey Antonio! Looks like it's time to finish off the beast."

"I suppose it is. Would you care to help me, Francis?" Antonio cooed as he pulled Francis out with ease.

"I thought you'd never ask," Francis said with a smile as he dusted himself off. He turned to look at Arthur and tousled his hair. "It seems like this is your punishment my dear Arthur."

"Punishment for what?" Arthur hissed.

"For messing with the Terrible Trio," they all chimed.

And with that last sentence, Arthur face paled a deep shade of blue as Francis and Antonio swung opposite hook punches.

_This is so unfair! _Arthur thought.

He closed his eyes expecting the pain to be swift, but nothing came. The sound of metal colliding with bones and men screaming in pain rang in his ears. An eye slowly peeled opened to see both Antonio and Francis on the ground unconscious and that his arms were slowly being released. He turned to see Gilbert washed over in fear and holding his arms in defense.

"E-Elizabeta, d-d-don't hit me! W-we were only joking!" Gilbert stuttered as he slowly backed away in defense.

A small woman appeared next to Arthur's side with an iron pan in her hands. Her long brunette hair covered her dark green eyes, but Arthur knew her reputation very well. Everyone knew about Elizabeta's reputation. Although she seemed like a fragile house wife, she was actually a killing machine on the inside. Arthur shuddered at the thought of Gilbert's blood on her pan and immediately discarded it.

"You…you tried to hurt our dear prince," she mumbled.

"W-well like I said before it was all a joke, right Arthur?" Gilbert laughed weakly and turned to Arthur for salvation.

The prince didn't seem to be in a giving mood at all, but he did give an ear-to-ear grin.

"Oh really? If I recall I remember you saying that you could _please me in many ways_."

The sound of metal groaning was heard behind Arthur and Gilbert's eyes shrank. He gave another weak laugh, but this one more out of desperation.

"Come on man, y-you can't mean that! Save a bruder here!" Gilbert pleaded with tears in his eyes. He fell to his knees and crawled towards Arthur. "Please don't give me to this mad woman! She's going to…take my vital regions…" The last sentence became a hush tone.

"Excuse me, I didn't quite hear that. Are you saying you'd like to take my vital regions?" Arthur teased turning a cold shoulder. Gilbert looked passed Arthur's waist and noticed that the devil was awake. He whimpered.

"P-p-please, Your Highness! I come as a lowly servant to seek guidance. I promise I won't do it again!" Arthur could have sworn that Gilbert was crying at this point.

Arthur gave a fake thoughtful noise and tapped his foot. "Hmm…no."

Gilbert's eyes shrank with shattered hope as he felt himself being dragged by the collar and outside the door. He dug his heels and nails into the ground only leaving scratch marks, and everyone watched him being led out of the party for God knows what kind of punishment. A scream of agony soon filled the ballroom and everything grew silent. Elizabeta came back to the room with a satisfied smile with the pan nowhere in sight. She stood next to Arthur and nudged their shoulders.

"Shall we be our way, I really want to see your Mother," she said with a smile.

Arthur gave a weak laugh. "Y-yeah."

_S-Scary…_

The music started slow again and the chatter returned. Elizabeta and Arthur finally made their way across the room with _no_ distractions and the Queen Elizabeth gave them a smile.

"Elizabeta!" Arthur's mother squealed, running towards them.

"Your Majesty," Elizabeta said with a graceful courtesy.

"Oh pish posh, here you can just call me Elizabeth," she said as she hugged her.

The brown haired woman flushed in embarrassment with the queen's strange gesture.

"But, Your Majes-" Elizabeth frowned. "I mean Elizabeth…" Saying her queen's name made her fidget uncomfortably. "It seems so out of place."

"Well then don't let it seem out of place…hmmm actually Elizabeth seems too formal. From now on call me Eliza," the queen giggled.

"_E-Eliza?_" Elizabeth squeaked.

"Yes?"

Elizabeta kept quiet and shuffled her feet. "N-nothing, never mind."

_Eliza_ smiled and cupped her friend's hands into hers.

"Good. Come now dear, I must tell you the exciting news that Henry told me!" Eliza said as she dragged Elizabeta away.

Arthur watched in complete confusion as she watched the two women disappear into the hallway. He sighed.

_I'll never understand women, or their gossip._

He turned a heel in attempts to find a new group to talk to, but bumped into another person.

"Hey watch where you're going!" he barked.

"Well that's an interesting way to speak to the guy who's preparing your wedding," a voice said icily.

Arthur rubbed his nose and looked up. A very clean looking man with glasses stood in front of him. A noticeable mole on his cheek, and his square rimmed glasses had a glare that barely hid his dark violet eyes. His dark brown hair was neatly combed besides one strand of hair that looked like it refused to come down.

"F-Father Roderich!" Arthur squeaked.

Besides the Kirkland family, the church was next in power and the guy he just bumped into was the current leader of that church, and the woman from earlier, Elizabeta, was his wife or at least that's what the current rumor is. But as a religious man, Roderich knows he cannot tie himself down with human desires.

"Your Highness," Roderich said with a bowing nod.

"I didn't mean to cause any harm. I mean, did I cause any harm?" Arthur asked in worry.

Roderich paused for a moment. "No, no damage done that can't be fixed, but you must watch that tongue of yours."

"Yes, right I'll take that into high consideration," Arthur lied.

"Very good. Now I would like to discuss the matters about your wedding. Is there a place where we can talk in private?"

Arthur opened his mouth then closed it. He opened it again. "N-"

"Ah Father Roderich just the person I wanted to see!" Arthur's father chimed in.

"Your Majesty," Roderich said again, bowing in a respectful manner.

Arthur turns and gives his father a scornful look and his father did the same.

_Fucking limey. _Arthur thought bitterly.

"May I ask why you were looking for me?" Roderich asked tilting his head.

"You may. I was looking for you because Arthur's fiancé, Miss Honda, has just arrived."

Arthur's heart stopped.

"Ah yes, that would be a matter that would require my presence. Arthur I recommend that you come along as well," Roderich said walking towards his father.

Arthur chewed on his lip and refused to meet their gaze. Roderich turned and looked him with full attention and gave a very amused smile. He laughed slightly.

"It was just a suggestion, but if you do not wish to meet her then don't," he said coldly.

Arthur looked up with eyes wide and opened his mouth, but nothing came out.

"Leave him Roderich; the boy is nothing but a nuisance," his father hissed.

The priest pushed up his glasses and turned a heel. "Well it's not my place to tell you what to do. Do what you think is right, but know this: this maybe the only chance to get to know her before the wedding."

Arthur slightly frowned and tugged on his sleeve.

_H-he's right…_

Roderich and his father made their way to a back room.

"W-wait," Arthur cried quietly. "I-I'm coming with you…to meet her."

Roderich gave a hidden satisfied smile. "Excellent. Now no time to waste we must hurry."

Arthur nodded and ran to catch up with Roderich and walked beside to him. He absolutely refused to walk next to his father.

The three entered a small room that only had a smile dining table with a vase of roses. They sat at opposite ends of the table neither of them speaking. A painful silence swept over and Arthur started to crack under the pressure. When the door finally opened, it seemed like everyone breathed. A young maid entered with a smile on her face.

"She's here," the maid announced.

Arthur felt his heart stop again.

"Well, let her in," Arthur's father ordered waving his hand in a welcoming gesture.

"Understood. Right this way umm, o-he-may-sa-ma?" The maid struggled with the pronunciation.

_It's pronounced ohime-sama you twit._ Arthur thought in irritation.

The door creaked even more open and the room suddenly started to spin. Oh how much Arthur wished his mother was here right now. A medium sized person with a ponytail entered the room. Their eyes were angled and very dark. They wore an elegant red gown with gold embroidery of flowers all around. They bowed.

"I-is this her?" Roderich asked completely confused.

"I assure you that I am not her," the person hissed.

A small laugh was heard in the background. "Please excuse him; he tends to be a bit tense when people confuse him for a female."

Arthur stiffened. The sound of a female's voice suddenly made his palms sweat and the room hot.

_Oh bugger…I'd rather marry this guy than a woman! At least I didn't get this nervous when he walked in._

"I do not get tense," the man mumbled.

"Oh Yao don't be so stingy!"

Arthur blinked. Mentally his jaw dropped ten feet, but in reality his mouth was kept shut in order to keep any attention away from him. The girl that now appeared in front of him looked nothing like the picture he had seen earlier that day. She was cuter in person than a damn picture. She wore a dark shade of pink and violet yukata with white flower petals spread on, and her hair was complemented with a red flower clip. And when she smiled the whole room lit up.

Both Arthur's father and Roderich stood up in awe.

"My word, what a beautiful bride," Roderich said adjusting his glasses.

"Ah, th-thank you," Mameko said as a shade of pink splashed on her cheeks.

"Cute and polite, see Arthur I told you I chose you the perfect bride," his father whispered elbowing him in the side.

Arthur gulped. "Y-yeah."

"Well just don't sit there, introduce yourself," Roderich whispered, pushing Arthur towards Mameko.

He stood at her feet with wide eyes and a nervous smile. Only if he could; Arthur felt his entire body turn into complete putty and his breath completely taken away, so even if he had something to say he couldn't. Mameko turned her heads towards him then looked away blushing. Arthur also looked away blushing furiously. He gripped the seam of his pants tightly.

_D-dammit…she's cute…_

Roderich noticing that Arthur wasn't going anywhere decided to take matters into his own hand. "Miss Honda would you and ummm, excuse me, what was his name again?"

"Yao, Wang Yao" she said softly

"Mr. Yao like a seat?"

She smiled and the room lit up again. "Yes please. Sorry for all the trouble though."

"None at all, you're our guest after all," Arthur's father beamed.

The both of them took their seats, but Yao more upset than happy.

"So, how was your trip down here?" Roderich asked, pushing his glasses to the bridge of his nose.

"It was fairly nice. The people at the airport were extremely friendly, and I didn't really need to worry that much since Yao was with me most of the time."

Arthur's father frowned slightly. "So Yao, what's your relationship with Miss Honda anyways? I'm quite curious; you two don't look like siblings."

Their faces twisted with a sourness.

"Well you see, it's a bit complicated, but rest assure, Your Majesty, there is no intimate relationship between me and Yao."

Henry relaxed. "I see. Sorry I didn't mean to open any old wounds."

"No worries, no harm done." Mameko shifted her attention towards Arthur. "So what about you umm, Arthur was it?"

Arthur nodded.

"Well do you have any hobbies?" she asked with a smile.

He didn't know why, but it seemed like that smile had a spell or something.

"I. Well. I. Enjoy. Books. Read. Girls. Read."

"O-oh I see," Mameko responded completely confused.

Arthur mentally face-palmed himself.

_Way to go Kirkland, now she probably thinks you're complete git._

But instead of complete confusion, Mameko laughed sheepishly.

"I enjoy books too," she said with a blush.

Arthur looked at her then relaxed. "I-I see."

They locked eyes and a spell seemed to takeover. Arthur's father couldn't help but smile.

"Well it seems like we'll talk about the wedding later, Roderich," Henry whispered, making his way out to the hallway.

"It seems that way, Your Majesty." He looked at the future couple and smiled. "Come you two, you'll have more time to speak with each other during the party."

The spell between them broke and they pulled away from each other's gaze and blushed.

"R-right, coming Father Roderich." Arthur coughed slightly and stood up. He flashed Mameko a quick smile and walked out the door.

Mameko giggled as Yao groaned in sheer annoyance and led her out behind him as they made their way towards the party. When the group made it out to the life of the party it looked like a riot was going on.

"What in the world?" Roderich said in bewilderment.

Ludwig came in a sober type of stage.

"Your Majesty, I apologize. I have failed you," Ludwig confessed.

"What in the world are you talking about?" Henry asked in hushed tones.

"Well you see, after time passed I managed to find some food to sober up a bit. But I wasn't completely sober until well…"

"Well what? Spit it out already!" Henry snapped.

Ludwig gulped. "Well it seems like the heirs from Ylati have made their way here, and they just insulted half of the guest."

Almost everyone paled besides the two new guests.

Mameko tilted her head. "Ylatian heirs? What's so bad about them?"

Ludwig looked at her with a confused look then lightened his stare. "Oh who is this?"

"This, Ludwig, is Arthur's fiancé," Arthur's father beamed.

"I see." He looked at Arthur then back at Mameko. "Actually I don't."

Arthur snarled. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Ahem," Roderich interrupted, "Aren't we getting to the point on who the Ylatian heirs were?"

"Ah right. Well you see Ylati has the blessing of having twins for their heirs, but you see… they're completely out of control when it comes to social gatherings."

"O-oh." Mameko fell silent.

A sudden crash made the group jump.

"FUCK! Where the hell can I get some goddamn food, dammit!" a rough voice yelled.

"Ve~ Calm down Lovino we don't want to cause any problems here," a calmer voice followed.

When the crowd cleared two men appeared from the center. They were completely identical in every way physical besides the shade of brown of their and the location of a stray curl on their heads. But their personalities were a different story.

Lovino was a more harsh and rude type of guy. He didn't give two shits about who you were or where you came from – unless you know, you were a female. Feleciano on the other hand, was a more quiet peace loving guy, but some wonder how he managed to be an heir considering his intellect isn't that high.

Arthur's father growled. "I will not allow this party to be trashed by two irrational men. I don't care if they're heirs to the throne. I WANT THEM OUT!"

Ludwig jumped. "Y-yes, Your Majesty."

And with that he left.

Henry pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "I must apologize, Miss Honda. This must be quite difficult for you to understand."

She shook her head. "Not at all. In fact, I find this quite amusing."

"You must be joking," Arthur asked shocked.

"I do not joke Mr. Kirkland. That reminds me, would you mind if I called you Arthur-kun?" She looked away in embarrassment as pink flooded her cheeks.

"Oh ummm, n-not at all," Arthur stuttered, rubbing the back of his neck.

She looked at him with large eyes that made his heart flutter and mind go completely blank.

"Great!" she giggled as she clasped her hands together.

Yao cleared his throat and motioned his head towards the back of the room again. Mameko slightly frowned then looked back at Arthur.

"I'm sorry Arthur-kun, but I must temporarily leave… but if you don't mind, I'd love to talk to you outside later." She brought his hands into hers and stared deeply into his eyes.

"Y-yeah…I'd like that," he responded completely flushed. She smiled and relaxed causing the butterflies to flutter in Arthur's stomach.

"Alright, till then sayonara Arthur-kun."

Yao, Mameko, Roderich, and Henry left the ballroom and out towards the main hall to discuss the political agreements of their wedding. Arthur stood there on cloud nine and gave a small grin.

_You know…getting married doesn't seem that bad after all…_

He chuckled and turned a heel, but once again he collided with another body.

_OH BLOODY HELL! Will this routine never end? _He thought furiously.

He growled and rubbed his nose again, which was now bruised, tender, and sore.

"Hey dude, watch where you're going!" a voice snapped.

_Excuse me?_

Arthur blinked.

"Excuse me?" he repeated aloud this time.

"You heard me," the person said even colder.

Irritation started to rise in Arthur as he furrowed his eyebrows. "Do you know who I am?"

The man snorted. "Annoying?"

Arthur growled and crossed his arms taking a good look at the man.

_Who does this bloke think he is? I mean look at the way he dresses, no class whatsoever! And that blond hair of his doesn't even look like it's been brushed,_ _and his eating habits look absolutely horrid! The nerve of this guy!_

The man brought his face in closer and gazed deeply at Arthur.

"Whoa, now those are some _eyebrows!_" he said in amusement.

Arthur flushed and covered them immediately. "H-how dare you!"

The man threw his head back and gave an arrogant laugh.

"Seriously dude, I think you need to wax those caterpillars or something. Those things are n-a-s-t-y, nasty. You're never gonna get laid looking like that."

Arthur scowled.

"And what happens if I told you that I'm engaged?" he said smugly.

The man laughed humorously. "Well then, who's the lucky yeti?"

"Why you! I will not be tolerated in being publicly humiliated on _my _birthday, understand?" Arthur barked his face completely red from yelling.

The man stopped laughing.

"Whoa, are you telling me that _this_ is _your_ party?"

Arthur nodded.

_Finally he gets it. Hopefully now he'll show some respect._

The man looked at him with disbelieving eyes and popped an appetizer into his mouth as if he was into a deep thought. He then gave a fake thoughtful noise and shook his head.

"You're lying," he finally said.

"Wh-what? You accuse me of lying?" Arthur huffed.

"Well duh! Everyone knows that this is the _prince's _party, and I'm letting you know now, you look nothing like a prince. A hobo yes, a prince eh not likely."

Arthur blinked.

_I'M GOING TO KILL THIS MAN!_

The blond haired man watched him attentively as he popped another snack into his mouth.

"Well what happens if I told you that I was the prince?" Arthur asked calmly even though inside he wanted to rip his throat out.

_Wait… why does it matter if this guy knows that I'm getting married or not?_

The man paused. "Well what's your proof?"

Arthur opened his mouth and lifted a finger to completely tell him off but a voice interrupted.

"He doesn't need any proof, da," the voice chimed.

The two men turned and Arthur's eyes widen.

"Mr. Braginski," the man chimed in surprise. Arthur turned in confusion.

_He knows the bookstore owner?_

"Ah, Alfred it's nice to know that you've made it to the party in one piece. Did you get lost along the way?" Ivan cooed.

"Nah, only a complete idiot would get lost getting to a castle this big," he laughed.

"That's why I asked," Ivan said with a playful tone.

"Dude…that's cold."

Ivan turned towards Arthur and smiled, but Arthur had a more difficult time returning it.

"I see that you've already met this prince," Ivan said happily.

Arthur gave a humorless smile. "Yeah, but it doesn't seem like this blok-"

"Yep, kinda a dick if you ask me," the man Ivan called Alfred interrupted with a blunt tone.

"Wh-what? I am not a dick. Since the time we've collided you've been nothing but a complete arse!" he fumed his accent extremely heavy.

"Arse? What is that ass in the olden days?" the blond snickered.

_Olden days? _Arthur pondered in confusion.

He looked at the man with complete confusion, but at that moment he remembered Katyusha telling him about two Acireman brothers and his eyes widen.

_Ahh…I see now. Damn Aciremans and their rude comments._

The blond man continued to ignore Arthur as Ivan continued to smile.

"By any chance are you an Acireman?" Arthur asked as he crossed his arms. "And no: arse is not ass in the olden days. It's just the proper way to say it besides your shit version."

The man Ivan called Alfred turned his head with full attention.

"What's it to ya'?" the blond said as he continued to stuff his face.

"Da, he's what you call the Acireman idiot," Ivan answered with a smile.

"Hey! That's a bit crude don'cha think?" the Acireman huffed. "Also, don't answer for me you damn Eissur. I can answer for myself."

"Nyet. I don't think… I _know_ that you're an idiot."

The Acireman puffed his cheeks and frowned, but Arthur savored that as a victory. The man named Alfred then turned and looked at Arthur with a somewhat disgusted yet curious look.

"Yeah, so what if I'm Acireman, what are you going to do throw me out?" he asked coldly as he popped another snack into his mouth.

_Oh you don't know how tempting that sounds right now._

But no he didn't say that.

"No I'm not, but I'm going to kindly ask you to keep your bloody ego and loud mouth away from my guests…if you don't mind." Arthur flashed him a sardonic smile.

"Why you!"

The man leaped forward, but Ivan restrained him with his arm and shook his head.

"Ooh we don't want to start a fight, now do we Alfred?" Ivan said coldly. He gave the Acireman a dark smile and then he pulled away. The Acireman clicked his tongue in defeat.

"Damn Nodnol and your damn rules," the blond scowled. He scuffed his collar and started to walk away.

"Alfred, where are you going?" Ivan asked as he tilted his head.

"Outside, if you don't mind. I have business that I'd like to take care of, so if you're done asking questions I'll be on my way."

And with that he was gone. Ivan laughed softly, but in the background Arthur started throwing punches in the air and strangled his fist imagining it was who Ivan called Alfred's head.

_HE'S SO INFURIATING! If I ever see that man again I'm going to kill him!_

Ivan sighed. "Please excuse him. He's not what you would call ummm, normal?"

"I can see that!" Arthur snarled releasing his fist.

"But please don't blame him. He and his brother have been through a lot since coming to Eporue, so don't be upset with him. He's actually a really nice guy when you get to know him," Ivan defended with a frown.

Arthur relaxed a bit and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Well he needs a lesson on manners that's for sure," he muttered.

"Huh? Did you say something?"

"No, nothing never mind." Arthur sighed and looked towards an open balcony. "I think I might take a breather as well, it's getting a bit stuffy in here with all these people. That reminds me: where's the rest of your family? Or did you come here by yourself?"

"They're here…but they're coming later," Ivan said, his lips tightening.

Arthur smiled at the thought of everyone coming tonight. He was pretty excited to see everyone again, well everyone besides Natalia.

"That's great to hear; I can't wait to see everyone again."

Ivan was silent but smiled nonetheless.

"Well if you need me I'll be outside," Arthur said patting Ivan's shoulder.

Ivan watched Arthur as he made his way through the crowd and to the outside balcony. He then brushed off his shoulder in disgust and walked away.

The cold air felt wonderful against Arthur's face as he inhaled the scent of the night sky and nature. He gazed over the balcony to see a couple sitting under the moonlight enjoying each other's company. He sighed.

"I wonder if that will ever happen to me."

"If what will ever happen?" a voice chimed.

He felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned to see Mameko behind him with a completely new outfit. She wore a dark violet silk dress that shaped pretty well across her body, but of course…no chest. He frowned.

"Is there something wrong Arthur-kun?" she asked, tilting her head.

"N-no not really," he said looking back over the balcony with blush. The couple below him started to intertwine into a passionate kiss and he sighed sadly. "I just hope that this marriage goes well for us. I mean relationship wise."

Mameko blushed. "I didn't think that would be a problem for you as well." Arthur turned and looked at her in confusion. "Well only if you allow it to be so Arthur-kun... then I'm sure our relationship could also be bountiful in love and not just politics."

He blushed furiously. "N-no I didn't mean it like that I just meant-"

"Oh…sorry for the misunderstanding," she said a bit sadly.

He sighed guiltily and rubbed the back of his head.

_Crap, I think I just messed up. _He thought, rubbing the back of his head.

He gave a weak laugh which pulled Mameko's full attention.

"No I didn't mean it that way either, it's just-" He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "It's just that…I've never really seen myself with a woman and just knowing that I'm about to get married to a very, very cute girl just makes me nervous."

She smiled. "You think I'm…cute?"

Arthur bit his tongue and blushed. "W-well…yeah."

She giggled and brought his hands into hers making him blush even harder.

"Well I'm glad Arthur-kun. I was afraid that you would think I wasn't very attractive and well not want to marry me…"

"Of course I want to marry you, I just-"

She blinked and pulled away sheepishly. It took awhile for it to register what he had just said, but when it did it hit hard.

"You just what, Arthur-kun?" Mameko asked pulling her face a bit closer to his.

"I just…"

He felt his mind going fuzzy and his face growing warm as Mameko brought herself basically kissing distance away.

_Wh-what is she doing? Is she…oh dear God she's closing her eyes! Wh-what do I do; I've never kissed anyone before! Well besides Mother, but that's not the point._

As the questions rapidly raced through his mind, he felt his eyes closing unconsciously. His heart was pounding so fast that he thought it would have burst, and his hands were drenched with so much sweat that he couldn't get a good grip on the railing. He felt her breath on his face and his spine started to quake. He had a hard time in keeping his hormones under control as inhaled her scent.

_Cherry blossoms? Hmmm…I've never pictured them to smell so…sweet._

As Arthur managed to finally relax, he pushed himself forward bringing their lips a short distance apart…

"Ahem," a voice interrupted.

Their eyes shot wide open and they pulled away from each other both blushing furiously. Yao stood at the entryway of the balcony doors and watched with cross eyes.

"Hime-sama," he said quietly, "I've been looking all over for you. Your Father is on the phone."

"_Father_?" Arthur squeaked.

"Why would my father be calling me right now?" Mameko asked with worry. "Is he alright?"

Yao nodded and Mameko relaxed. She then looked at Arthur with a guilty look.

"I'm sorry Arthur-kun, but this may be very important. You probably won't see me for the rest of the night if I take this call."

Arthur faked a smile. "Oh don't worry. I understand talking to your father is very important," he lied.

_Damn fathers and interrupting my one moment of happiness!_ He thought, making a fist in his head.

Her eyes widen with appreciation and she hugged him.

"Arigato Arthur-kun."

He returned the hug with gladness. "N-no problem."

He took her hand into his and planted a small kiss causing her to blush.

"Until tomorrow my princess," he cooed giving her a wink.

She giggled and closed the balcony doors behind her leaving Arthur alone in the cold. But he didn't seem to mind it at all…He was jumping for joy and fist pumping in the air.

"I FINALLY DID IT!" he yelled at the top of his lungs, "I FINALLY TALKED TO A GIRL! And not just any girl…my _fiancé_."

He continued to dance like an idiot on top of a balcony until he ran out of breath.

_Man, there is no possible way that this night could get ruined! _He laughed to himself and made his way to the doorknob.

Locked.

He turned it again, but the same result was spat at him.

_That's strange; I could have sworn I left it unlocked a while ago…_

He tugged a bit harder, but it would not budge. He pounded on the door waiting for an answer, but no one came. A sudden breeze made his spine crawl and shiver. He started rubbing his arms in search of warmth as he tried to keep him mind calm.

_Well someone is bound to notice that I'm gone, and they'll have a search party for me in no time._

Or at least that's what he had hoped for.

The sound of heels clicking on the rail of the balcony caught his attention. He turned around to see a person in an oversized dark cloak appear before him. They were wearing a black mask with black feathers decorated around the outside. There was a golden beak protruding for the nose and gold seams entrailed across. They smiled.

"Arthur Kirkland…from here on out, you're now dead."

* * *

**A/N:** Sorry if this chapter took a while; we had some family problems. Also I apologize if I seemed like I rushed this chapter a bit…I did actually, but I'll clean it up later. I at least wanted to get the basic outline out there so you guys have a chapter. Yes, Mameko is Fem!Japan, but for good reasons that you'll find out in the future. And yes that was Alfred, but right now he gets a short introduction. Arthur won't officially "meet" Alfred until a later chapter. I wanted to introduce the Bad Touch Trio in this chapter because in the future they do play an important role besides comic relief. Not going to say what, but they do have that relationship as good friends in here as well. Antonio and Arthur still butt heads, but Gilbert seems to have more of a neutral feeling towards Arthur. Alright, Elizabeth and Eliza. Their relationship is that of two gal pals that share all their secrets and gossip together. And last but not least...Austria! Austria is Austria. I don't know what to say about him besides the fact that he's like some egoistic person. Please R & R and I'll get back to this chapter and the next chapter in the future.


	4. Phantoms

**Chapter Four**

**Phantoms**

The wind started to grow anxious as the moon vanished beneath clouds. Only a beam of light lit the balcony. Arthur gawked at the masked marauder with confusion; he wasn't sure how to react. The cloaked person stepped down onto the balcony and brought themselves closer. Arthur recoiled back nervously.

"St-stay back," he stuttered.

The masked marauder stopped in amusement, chuckled and with a flash was gone within sight. Arthur felt his heart leap to his throat and adrenaline pump into his blood. His breath became heavy even though he tried to keep an even pace. He held his fist up in self-defense. A sharp kick roundhouse was planted on his back knocking the air out of him causing him to collapse to his knees and gasping for breath.

A click was heard and Arthur's stomach sank. His body fell forward as the person placed a foot on his back and pulled his head up by his hair. The masked marauder brought their face close to his.

"What's wrong, Your Highness? Can't you scream for me?" the person said.

Their breath sent shivers down Arthur's spine as they released a blood chilling snicker. It made the hair on his neck stand at attention. He felt the cold metal nose of the gun trace up his back and to his neck where it then finally met the back of his skull. He attempted to swallow, but the fear kept it lodged in his throat. The person laughed again.

"I can smell fear you know," they said.

Arthur felt a tongue being followed on the back of his ear and down his neck causing more fear like shivers to trace back and forth his spine, but he couldn't help but feel a bit aroused at the sensation.

"St-stop it," he pleaded a bit flustered.

Arthur felt a hand trace its way down his stomach to his trousers. His face grew warm and his thoughts fuzzy.

"But I want to play a game," they responded huskily as they nipped at his ear and traced a finger around Arthur's stiff area.

Arthur bit back a noise of pleasure since he knew that a gun was behind his head and that his life was in danger, so at the moment he didn't want to fool around. The person finally pulled away with a disappointed frown.

"How depressing," they whimpered in dissatisfaction. "It seems like you don't want to respond to anything I do."

A sense of relief and need of satisfaction bubbled in Arthur, but the emotion vanished when he still felt the gun behind his head.

"Looks like I have the end the game early today," the marauder said in a giddy squeal.

Arthur's eyes widen with panic. _Wait, what? I can't die here!_

He started to squirm under the person's foot like a worm, but the masked marauder spat at him in disgust.

"Don't even bother. I'm way too strong for you to escape," they hissed.

_That voice…what does it sound so damn familiar? _

"Well it was nice knowing you while it lasted, _Your Highness_, but now I need you to die, ok?"

Arthur shut his eyes tight and hardened his stomach.

_I can't die here! _He screamed.

Time slowed down as Arthur counted the seconds for the triggered to be pulled. The grinding mechanics of the gun pounded in his ears and the smile of his mother flashed through his head.

_5…4…3…2…1-_

The sound of a fire cracker popping and people screaming reverberated and Arthur felt his world growing cold and silent.

_Funny, I didn't expect death to be so peaceful._

He unconsciously opened his eyes to see the pistol on the ground next to him and blood splattered on the floor. He didn't hear the person screaming in agonizing pain, nor did he feel himself being hoisted up in the air like a bride, but he did feel his head laying perfectly into someone's chest. He didn't care whose chest it was he just held on for dear life.

"Are you ok?" an unknown voice asked.

Arthur nodded lifelessly as his emerald green eyes, now dull from distance of reality, looked up. They were wearing a mask as well, but he could tell from the angular features of their face that it was a male.

"Good," the person responded.

He put Arthur to his feet, but the young prince refused to let go. The masked marauder growled silently.

"You!?" they said surprised. "You'll pay for this!" they cursed venomously.

"I'm sure I will in good time, but right now I have a princess to deliver," the man said calmly.

Arthur, still in a state of shock, looked over at his attacker who was now bleeding from the palm of their hand.

_Blood? Is that my blood? I don't feel like I'm bleeding. Then... is that their blood? I think it is, but how? Gun on the ground… did they shoot themselves? No… that would be stupid of them. Wait, someone is holding me. Who? I don't know actually, but I think they just saved me from that person over there..._

Arthur blinked a few times then finally fainted. The man caught him before he fell to the ground.

"Dammit_,"_ the man cursed to himself. He gingerly laid Arthur on the ground and brushed away strands of hair from his face. "You chose a very bad time to fall asleep on me, Your Highness."

The masked marauder threw their head back and laughed hysterically. "Now this is just perfect! _You _trying to be a hero and save the damsel in distress. That's just absolutely foolish of you!"

"Call me foolish if you want, but I always thought ignorance was a great trait of mine," the man said smugly as he stood up.

"Stupid meddlesome brat."

"That's what they call me."

With a flick of their wrist, the marauder pulled out a small line of nylon strings that extended from their fingertips and pulled the pistol back into their hand. They steadily aimed it at the masked man and smiled grimly.

"You're in my way from my mission, but no matter I'll enjoy every second of killing you," they purred.

"Oh _really_? Funny, as a matter of fact, you just so happen to be in the way of _my _mission as well, so let's see if we can settle this here and now," the man said as he pulled out a epee blade.

The marauder cackled. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this."

"The feeling is mutual."

And with that, they leaped at each other with the intent to kill.

In the subconscious of Arthur's head he felt completely numb. His body refused to move and it took all his strength to keep some type of consciousness, but foreign sounds of metal clashing and firecrackers popping rang in his ears.

The fight continued and the two masked devils parted from each other from the sheer force of their fighting, causing each to hit a wall, back first. They both fell on a knee and panted heavily as sweat heavily poured from their foreheads.

"You. Have. Gotten. Better." The marauder panted with a smile.

"Thanks. I've. Been. Practicing." The man responded with each breath.

The marauder stood up and took aim at the masked hero, who attempted to stand up as well, but his face washed over in pain. He looked at his side which had a noticeable wound and snarled.

_Shit…_

"Well looks like this is the end for you," the marauder hissed.

The man glared coldly at the marauder and continued to growl.

"Look at this I finally got you to shut up…it must be my lucky day." The gun clicked and they gave a satisfied smile. "Goodbye Mr. Hero. I will not be missing you."

Just then the balcony door swung open and Gilbert burst in.

"Man, why the hell was I sent out on balcony duty? It's not like anyone is…out…here…"

He paused. The two masked people blinked and stared at him in silence. Gilbert blinked in response with their blinking then laughed nervously.

"Wh-what the fuck is going on?" he asked in confusion. His red eyes traced to the ground to see an unconscious Arthur then his eyes widened. "Your Highness!"

He unsheathed his sword and a pointed it at the fighting party.

"What have you done to the prince?" Gilbert snarled.

The masked man sighed. "Oh brother, I don't have time for this now," he mumbled. He sheathed his sword and gave Gilbert an irritated gaze. "Look, I don't have time to waste with you. I have some important business here with Sleeping Beauty right now, so if you please excuse me I'll be on my way."

He knelt and picked up Arthur princess style as his head perfectly settled into his chest. A gunshot rang and the bullet bounced near his foot. The masked marauder growled and looked at him with crazed eyes.

"I won't let you escape," they hissed as they aimed for the man's head.

"Hey, don't forget I'm still here!" Gilbert swung at them, but the marauder side stepped and back flipped onto the rail. "Dammit I missed," Gilbert snarled.

The marauder's eyes widened then shrank in rage.

"Damn nuisance."

They aimed for Gilbert and shot, but it only grazed his cheek. His eyes shook a bit.

"Phew…that was a close one," he squeaked.

The masked man stood on the rail of the balcony with Arthur in his arms. The marauder and Gilbert looked up with wide eyes. He smiled.

"Well, looks like you ladies are having a moment. I guess I'll just take my leave then," he said with a gentleman bow.

"Your Highness!" Gilbert screamed making a dash towards the rail.

But he was too late.

The man jumped off the edge and made a graceful backflip onto the next balcony and continued the chain with the roofs of small steeple points until he was out of sight. Gilbert growled and pounded his fist on the stone railing. The marauder scoffed and put their gun away.

…_What the hell is he doing? This wasn't part of the plan._

Gilbert turned around with stern eyes and pointed his sword at the other masked person.

"You…you at least won't escape. You are now under arrest for assaulting the prince and me as well, cause well, I'm too awesome to be killed," Gilbert said in a serious tone.

The marauder laughed humorously. "Sorry big boy, but I have somewhere to be right now," they purred.

"Wait, what?" Gilbert watched as the marauder threw smoke bombs on the ground and shielded his eyes. When the smoke cleared, they were gone besides a lone dagger. "Lucky bastard."

He picked up the blade and examined it carefully.

_This metal…_

He glanced over the balcony and sighed.

"Arthur…what the fuck did you get yourself into?"

After examining the metal again, Gilbert placed it inside his pocket and walked into the ballroom to report the current incident.

* * *

The wind softly played with Arthur's hair as his eyes slowly fluttered open. He groaned

_Where am I?_

His vision slightly blurred until familiar pictures became clearer or at least somewhat familiar pictures. He blinked and noticed that he was in the high in the air and in the arms of someone he didn't know was the good or bad guy. He attempted to yell, but it refused to come out, so instead he gripped tighter on the person's shirt. He heard a laugh and looked at the person's face.

"Nice to see that you're awake," the masked man said happily.

"P-put me down!" Arthur barked as he struggled within their grasp.

"Whoa… hey…watch it, ow, not the face! And after all the trouble you just put me through? Uh no!"

The masked man landed on top of steeple point of the house and pushed himself up causing Arthur's breath to hitch.

"A-ah!" Arthur screamed as he held tighter around the person's waist.

The man laughed again. "Hold on princess, this is going to be a bumpy ride."

Arthur blushed in fury. "P-p-princess? I'll have you know that I'm a boy!" he huffed in annoyance.

"I know, but I keep telling myself that you're a princess or else I'd drop you right now," the man confessed.

"Drop me? Why would you drop me?" Arthur asked with worry.

"Because, one: I'm a man that only saves damsels in distress. Period. And dude last time I checked you're no damsel. And two: you're annoying."

_Annoying? Me?_ Arthur's eyes slanted in annoyance.

"Plus, you have no idea how much trouble you put me through tonight." The man pushed himself off another steeple causing Arthur to hold on tightly again. When his stomach managed to settle Arthur spoke.

"Trouble? What trouble?" An image of his attacker flashed in his head and his eyes widen then fell in guilt. "You…you saved me, didn't you?"

The man snorted. "I wouldn't say saved, more like rescued."

"That's the bloody same thing!" Arthur hissed.

"Umm, no it's not."

"Oh this is just perfect! I get saved by an idiot who enjoys playing hero on my birthday," Arthur snarled. He felt a headache coming.

The man laughed a deviously this time. "Just letting you know I'm not the good guy."

"Wait, what?" Arthur squeaked.

"Kidding. But I'm no hero either. I'm more of a _vigilante _I guess you can say."

"Vigilante?"

"Yeah sounds cool, huh?" the man beamed.

"…You're a complete fool," Arthur said with a sigh.

"Why thank you," the man said sarcastically.

The man did a front flip onto a roof and Arthur's head spun. He felt himself being put down, but stumbled to his knees as nausea filled in his stomach. The man patted his back roughly with a hearty laugh and that caused Arthur him to cringe in annoyance.

"Can you please stop?" Arthur hissed in irritation as he glared at the man.

"Huh? What in the world are you talking about?" the man asked as he tilted his head.

Arthur stood up, sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Look, I don't know who you are and I don't really give a rat's ass, but I need to get back to the castle. Can you at least do that?"

The man quickly brought his face close Arthur's with an intense stare which caused him to pull away in embarrassment.

"Wh-what is there something on my face?" he asked sheepishly.

"…It's nothing, never mind," the man said. Arthur could have sworn he heard the man say something about the word arse, but he wasn't to sure. The masked man turned around and dropped to a knee.

"What are you doing?" Arthur asked, cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

"Obviously I'm taking you back to the castle," the man retorted.

The sandy blond blushed harder.

"Like that? It doesn't seem very safe. Don't you have a carriage, a horse, a magic carpet, or something?" he asked in desperation.

The man chuckled. "Nope. How do you think I got this far, flying?"

Finally realizing that the man wasn't joking Arthur gave up. "N-no, but this…this seems a bit embarrassing..."

The man smiled. "Oh, are you saying that you'd rather be carried in my arms like a princess?"

Arthur smacked his head.

"Forget it!" he snapped, his embarrassment immediately fading.

"Ow."

Arthur blinked uncomfortably as he wrapped his legs around the man's waist and arms around his neck. The man then stood up and Arthur tightly squeezed causing the man to take a few steps back.

"Nervous?" he asked in a strained voice.

"Not at all," Arthur said in slight embarrassment. He slowly released some tension around the man's neck and exhaled. "Just worried…"

"That's the same thing." Arthur felt a smirk purse on his lips.

"Wipe the smile of your face," he hissed.

"Whatever you say, Your Highness."

And with that he leapt into the air again.

With each leap Arthur tightened his grip causing the man to cough.

"Choking not breathing," he wheezed.

"Huh? Oh sorry, a bit nervous I suppose," he said sheepishly.

"So you are nervous," the man said in a coy tone.

"NO!" Arthur huffed.

_What's with the guy? He's acting like a complete dick! Note to self: don't forget to add this guy to my blacklist along with the Acireman bastard._

At that moment an image of the Acireman boy flashed through Arthur's mind, but he immediately discarded it and blushed in anger.

_That damn Acireman…why am I thinking about him at a time like this? Wait what was his name again? Arturo? Alfie? Al… ah just forget it... he's still number one on my blacklist._

The man felt Arthur bury his face in his back and exhaled in exasperation.

"Something on your mind?" he asked as he jumped from each steeple point with ease.

"N-no it's nothing…"

_Hmmm…he smells like incense and papers. I wonder if he didn't attend the party._

The man smiled to himself and gripped Arthur a bit closer to him, causing Arthur to blush slightly.

"Oh by the way," the man said interrupting Arthur's focus, "Where am I going?"

Arthur felt major irritation boiling and punched him again... in the head this time.

"Ow! The hell was that for?"

"That's for running around in circles and just being a complete imbecile." Arthur frowned and buried his face deeper. "Just take me to my room." His voice was muffled.

"What was that?"

"Just take me to my room!" he said a bit louder, pulling his face out of the man's back.

"Whoa, man I just met you…isn't that a bit you know, more for your fiancé?"

Arthur blushed at first, but then blinked when he noticed something the man said.

"H-how did _you_ know I have a fiancé?"

The man choked. "Uh….well you see…it was announced at the party?"

Arthur gave a disbelieving look at first, but he then decided to believe it last minute.

"…I see."

_So Father already announced it…_

"Yeah, so ummm, congratulations I guess? Marriage, yeah that's cool."

"I suppose," Arthur said a bit sadly.

_Why am I talking to this idiot? It's not he cares anyways._

He gripped tightly around the neck and bit his lip. The man slightly turned his head and watched attentively then turned back around. An awkward silence crept as the sound of fast footwork brushed against buildings. The man stopped at a balcony rail and looked up.

"So which one is your room?" he asked, shifting Arthur's weight so he could look up.

Arthur squinted then pointed at a window. "That's it over there."

He pointed at a room that was completely pitch black, but luckily the windows were still open.

"You know, someone like me could easily break in and steal something from there," the man purred.

"Go ahead, I own nothing of value," Arthur challenged.

The man was silent as if he was in deep thought then adjusted Arthur so that he was uncomfortably close.

"Nah never mind, you don't even look worth stealing from. Probably only have porn books and other stuff like that."

A dash of pink escaped Arthur's cheeks.

"I do not!" he lied.

"Sureee…"

Arthur smacked him in the back of the head for the third time.

"Stop hitting me! Do you want me to take you back or not?" the man growled threateningly.

"Of course I do, but I don't want you antagonizing me along the way."

The man mumbled something about being a pack mule and leaped into the air.

Arthur finally adjusted the motions of being in the air and relaxed tremendously and decided to take a closer look at the man. His blond hair was an organized messed and it complimented well with his cream colored skin. And since he was held from both the front and back end, it was obvious that the man was in shape. Arthur blushed when he caught himself thinking this way.

_What in the world am I doing? I need an excuse if he caught me staring at him ummm, I'll just say that his hair was irritating me, but then I realized it was really soft and so I got caught in the moment…. that sounds really fruity, even in my head._

Steam seemed to escape Arthur's ears and the man laughed to himself as if he noticed Arthur's inner turmoil. When the man reached the balcony, they rolled in and the lights flickered on. Arthur felt a pain in the back of his head from the combination of the impact of the ground and rolling.

_Ow…he could have been a bit gentler on the landing, but beggars can't be choosers._

He sat up and rubbed the back of his head, but only to be met with the man's face only a short distance away. His face grew warm as splashes of pink appeared on both of their faces and their eyes wide with shock.

"G-g-get away!" Arthur stuttered with embarrassment.

He pushed the man in the chest creating some distance between the two of them, and the man collided against the wall back first. The man grunted in pain and cringed at the impact. Arthur placed his hands on his cheeks and attempted to regain his composure.

_Why the hell am I so nervous? It's not like we were doing anything, but still…_

He turned to look at the man, but only to be met with a bit of a shock. Blood flowed from the man's side from where to bullet hit. Arthur's eyes shrank in fear.

"H-hey, are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

_Of course he's not alright you git! He's fucking bleeding! _He thought.

"Y-yeah, it's just a scratch," the man said huskily as he applied pressure.

…_He carried me with a wound like that?_

Arthur knelt by his side and watched in horror. "Of course it not a scratch. You're fucking bleeding like a fountain!"

The man laughed weakly. "Yeah I guess I am. Hey, can you keep your voice down? The room is starting to spin a bit and my head hurts."

"Wh-what? That's not a good sign! Y-you can't die here!" Panic rose in Arthur's voice, but the man just gave him a calm smile.

"I'm not going to die; I'm just going to rest for a bit." The last few words became a whisper.

Arthur bit his top lip and placed a hand on the man's shoulder. "Since you're too stubborn and won't accept your death, will you at least tell me your name, so I can properly thank you?"

The man chuckled and closed his eyes from exhaustion. "I'm afraid I can't tell you…that's classified information."

And with that last sentence, Arthur watched him slowly drift off into a small sleep. Arthur couldn't believe it. He has a man in his room that was currently bleeding to death, but that wasn't the thing that surprised him.

_He…he has really pretty blue eyes._

Arthur gingerly pushed off random strands of hair away from the man's face and smiled. His hand nudged the mask, and sense of curiosity filled his head.

_I wonder…_

He placed a finger on the mask and started to pull it off, but a knock on the door made him jump.

"C-coming," he squeaked.

He stopped pulling on the mask and headed for the door. He slowly turned the knob but it then quickly swung open and his mother embraced him.

"MY DEAR ARTHUR! You're alive!" she cried as she placed multiple kisses on his face.

"Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?" he asked pulling away and quickly took a quick glance at the man. He was still there.

She frowned and pulled his hands into hers. "Gilbert told us that you got kidnapped by some masked monkey, so the entire kingdom was worried about you. Your Father even canceled the party and called a search team just to find you."

"…He did that?"

"Yes, and I was just about to ask Ludwig to dance with me too," Alice interrupted in irritation. Her back was on the door frame and arms across her chest, "And look they even failed to kill you. Some assassins they turned out to be."

Elizabeth lightly flicked Alice on the forehead and frowned. "Alice, be nice to your brother. He just got kidnapped, so he might be in a state of shock."

Arthur blinked. "Actually mother I wasn't kidnapped by a masked murderer. I was saved by a masked murderer…but I guess you can't call him a murderer. He's more like an idiotic vigilante." He looked behind his shoulder with a glare at the last part.

Elizabeth looked at her son with utter confusion then relaxed. "Well as long as they didn't hurt you, and that they returned you safe and sound I don't care if they were a monkey."

She planted more kisses on his forehead and sighed.

"I need to tell your father that you're back home now, and that Miss Honda and Yao can come out of hid-"

Arthur's eyes widen at Mameko's name. "Mother! Is Mameko alright? She didn't get hurt did she?"

His mother blinked then smiled. "Don't worry dear, she's fine. A bit worried about your condition, but she's fine other than that."

Arthur gave a relieved sigh.

_Thank God…_

Elizabeth watched her son relax and smiled. She pulled away from his grip and started to make a way out the door with a radiance of happiness.

"You may want to get some rest dear," she said gingerly. The sound of his mother's voice always seemed to bring Arthur at peace, even after a night like tonight. "Tomorrow is a big day."

"What's tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow, you, me, Miss Honda, and our bodyguards are going to the church to discuss your wedding plans," Alice said.

"Wait _tomorrow_, tomorrow?" Arthur said in shock.

Elizabeth sighed. "Sadly: yes. I asked your father to give you some more time, but he seemed extremely excited today. He said that you guys hit it right off."

He blinked then gave a small smile. "No…tomorrow is fine. The earlier the better right?"

His mother blinked.

"Y-yes I suppose," she said completely surprised at Arthur approach. She was expecting him to be a bit more bitter. She frowned slightly but quickly recovered a weak smile. "Until tomorrow morning then Arthur dear."

She closed the door and Arthur was alone again.

_Hmmm…the church tomorrow. Now that's a bit exciting._

He laughed to himself and pulled his tie off making his way towards the balcony room. He noticed that the man was no longer leaned against the wall and panic struck him. His eyes then traced outside where the man stood at the edge.

"Hey get down from there you fool!" Arthur yelled.

The man turned halfway and gave him a cold stare.

"Stay back," the man warned.

Arthur froze at the intensity at the the man's voice. "W-what?! I can't do that you're injured. If you just let me help I can get you some doctors and we can get you fixe-"

"No doctors!" the man snapped. Arthur flinched even more at the harshness in his voice. "No doctors…"

The man stood on top of the railing and turned towards Arthur with a frown on his face. Arthur gasped on ran towards him, but it seemed like time was against him again. The man fell backwards and Arthur lunged out to catch him, but he slipped right out of his hands.

_No!_

Just then a shadow leaped from the ground and a loud cry echoed in the air. Arthur blinked and saw the man on the back of a bird like contraption and gave an awe struck stare. It's majestic mechanical wings grinded against with the gears rotations and the man knelt on it and gave a hand symbol that was mixed of a peace sign and a gun. It was a spectacular sight.

"What the hell is that?"

He watched as the man disappeared into the moonlight horizon like in fairytales and tilted his head. The mask the man wore floated towards the balcony and onto the marble flooring. Arthur picked it up and examined it closely then looked back towards the moon and blinked.

_What kind of vigilante...has a stupid pose like that?_

Arthur walked inside his room and closed the doors with a sigh, but he could have sworn he heard the bird cry out one more time and the man burst into an arrogant laugh.

* * *

**A/N:** Hey guys I decided to put another chapter up this week, but this one was also a bit rushed, sorry. Also if you're smart I'm sure everyone can figure out who the masked vigilante is, but if not I'm going to keep you guessing. Also the other masked person is a secret, so don't make any guesses yet (okay you can but I won't tell you if you're right or wrong). Please R & R and I'll get back to this chapter and next chapter soon.


	5. Encounter

**A/N: **Hey everyone! I just wanted to say thanks for all the reviews and stuff; it really keeps me going. Other things… Sorry for a week with no update I've been busy with college and work, but the quarter is almost over! Also to answer a review, yes Alfred hasn't been showing much, but he'll be appearing even more now. Its suspense so he'll be coming in slowly, but not too slow.

**Chapter Five**

**Encounter**

The sun sneaked between the curtains of the balcony doors and into Arthur's bedroom area. Its rays of light beamed on his face as he wrinkled his nose in annoyance not wanting to leave the warmth and security that his bed gave him. He turned his body to find a new unfamiliar source of warmth and huddled closer curling himself into a ball. The warmth shifted slightly around his body and more strange feelings overcame him.

_How strange, it almost feels like there's another person in bed with me…_

His emerald eyes slowly fluttered open to see a strange unfamiliar blurred object in front of him. He blinked a few times, but he wished he didn't. His face completely paled to see a nude Francis, Lovino, and Feliciano in his bed and huddled around him.

"AHHH!"

Arthur fell on the ground and scurried to the wall back first in complete fear. Francis and the twin brothers slowly sat up and rubbed their eyes.

"What's wrong mon cher? Isn't it a bit too early to be waking up?" Francis yawned as he stretched like a cat revealing many of his genitals.

Arthur ran up to him and smacked him then covered his eyes from seeing any "unnecessary objects".

"D-don't do that! And what the bloody hell are you doing here?" Arthur barked.

"Vee ~ isn't it obvious? We're sleeping!" Feliciano said with a smile.

"I mean what are you doing here in _my_ bed?" Arthur hissed.

"And he just answered sleeping, you damn English bastard," Lovino followed as he rubbed the back of his head. He followed with a stretch and pushed his brother off of his lap.

Arthur cringed in annoyance and disgust as Francis wrapped an arm around his shoulder and poked his cheek.

"Come now Arthur, don't tell me you've never seen another man naked before!" he teased.

Arthur brushed his hand off and gave him a death glare. "Of course I haven't you damn frog! I'm not interested in men whatsoever, and I never will be!"

"Arthur! How can you say you're not the bit curious? The human body is a sculpture that waits to be examined! There is no beauty difference between a man and a woman! We should be loved equally!" He turned and looked at Arthur with determined eyes. "Now come and give me a morning kiss."

Francis scrunched his face and puckered his lips as he pulled Arthur's face close to his.

"Fuck off!"

He punched Francis in the face causing the Frenchman to recoil to the foot of the bed and revealing the rest of his nakedness from head-to-toe. Arthur's face flushed completely as Feliciano gave a giggle and Lovino sighed in annoyance.

"Vee ~ I want to play too!"

The young Italian started to strip the rest of the bed sheets off of him, but Arthur managed to stop him before peeling the last layer.

"We're not playing you git!" Arthur squeaked.

"We're not?" Feliciano asked as he tilted his head.

"Of course not, dammit! Just do as you please mi fratello."

Arthur grunted and turned his head. "Don't encourage hi-"

He stopped with wide eyes. Luckily, he wasn't in the mood for eggs and sausage.

"PUT SOME BLOODY CLOTHES ON!" he screamed as he pushed Lovino away.

"MAKE ME, YOU DAMN ENGLISH BASTARD!"

The two continued to bicker and Feliciano sat in the background close to tears unsure how to stop the two from fighting. Francis snaked his way back up and rubbed his head. The door slowly creaked open and everyone held their breath.

"HURRY UP ARTHUR, EVERYONE IS TIRED OF WAITING!" Alice roared as she kicked down the door. "Father says that you need to hurry up and…get…ready?"

Time froze. Alice looked closely to see a mess tangle of naked men in one bed and blinked. Wait, tangled? Bed? Men? Naked? She paused to absorb the situation then blinked again in horror.

"A-Alice…this isn't what it looks like," Arthur stuttered in horror already predicting her thoughts.

Her gaze shifted to her brother, but instead of complete disgust like he predicted, she smiled…which was even worse.

_Oh shit…_

"Hmmm well this is interesting," she purred evilly.

"What is?" Francis questioned gracefully floating to Alice's side.

"Oh nothing." She glanced at Arthur and smiled. "As I said before we're all waiting for you downstairs, so hurry up and get your business done. And also… I'll let Mameko know that you didn't have breakfast with her because you we're having sex with your best man."

Arthur's eyes widen in shock. "B-best man? Sex? Wait what?"

"Vee ~ that's right! Francis is your best man and me and Lovino are the other guys, uh what are they called again?"

"Groomsmen, dammit! I can't believe I'm related to you!"

Arthur's face paled a dangerous shade of green and he fell to the floor landing on all floors.

_Why…why does God hate me?_

"E-eh? Arthur! What's wrong?" Feliciano squealed as he jumped out of the bed a squatted next to Arthur. The blond turned his head not wanting to look at this Ylatian's genitals and gave an ominous smile.

"Today…my life ends," he muttered.

Feliciano patted his back and chuckled.

"Vee ~ don't worry Arthur. I'm sure that today will be great!"

Arthur shot him a death glance and Feliciano immediately was silent.

"Easy for you to say; your sister didn't just barge into your room to see you surrounded with completely butt naked men in your bed!" Arthur was fuming at this point and choking the poor Feliciano.

"A-Arthur! Can't. Breathe. I. Can't. Breathe!" Feliciano said in abrupt breaths.

A sudden scream made Arthur let go and whip his head around.

"Alice!"

Just then, a flash of white zoomed passed his head and crashed into his dresser. His face paled a shade of blue as his sister was panting in rage and cheeks flushed with a dark shade of red.

"You…you bloody frog! I'm going to shred of your manhood off if you _ever _do that again!" she threatened.

Arthur looked at Francis, who was now a fountain of blood, as Alice huffed out of his room and slammed the door making sure it echoed.

"Vee ~ she's scary," Feliciano whimpered as his brother placed his clothes on his head.

"She just looks like a horny bitch to me," Lovino scowled as he pulled a sleeve over his arm.

Arthur chuckled slightly and pushed himself off the ground. "You're probably right, but that's my sister for you."

He made his way towards Francis and placed a hand on his hips. Francis recovered quickly and wiped the blood of his lips and flashed Arthur a smile.

"Mon cher, your sister is a bit sca-"

Arthur pulled him up by his neck and looked at him square in the eye. He was not pleased at all.

"What did you tell her you damn wanker?" His eyes were dark with intent to kill.

"P-p-please listen to me Arthur! I didn't mean to cause any harm!" Francis pleaded, but it didn't seem like begging worked that much since Arthur tightened his grip.

"You're not answering me."

Francis eyes rolled to the back of his skull and Feliciano screamed.

"A-Arthur you're killing him!"

"Oh no I'm not. Trust me this damn frog won't die so easily. Now tell me: what did you tell her that made her so angry?"

"I-I-I offered to show her a good time around town since she didn't seem like she got out that much. That's all, I swear!" Francis croaked.

Release. Francis gasped and choked for air and Arthur stood there completely astounded; his ears not wanting to believe what the French man just said. He smiled. A laugh managed to escape his lips as Francis scowled lowly and the Ylatian heirs blinking in confusion. Arthur placed a hand on his forehead and stomach and started to rise in laughter.

"Dear God! That's it? Francis, I have to hand it to you. You've got some guts if you said that to Alice!"

Francis spat on the ground and lifted himself off the ground.

"I'm glad that my pain seems to bring you happiness," he mumbled.

Arthur wiped a tear from his eyes and attempted to regain his composure. "Always will."

They smiled at each other and nudged each other's chins with their fist. Francis then pulled Arthur under his arm and tousled his hair.

"I can't believe that you're getting married! It feels so weird since we practically grew up with each other, and yet I am still more beautiful than you," Francis said as he released Arthur.

Arthur gave a scornful smile and swung at Francis, who easily dodged. "But of course, I'm the one with the hot fiancé."

"Oh, but mon cher. The more beautiful the woman is, the uglier they become when they're older."

"Take that back!" Arthur growled.

"Oh? Did I strike a nerve?" Francis purred.

Arthur made his way to tackle Francis, but the sound of a gun clicking made them both freeze into place.

"Stop this useless fighting dammit! You're getting on my fucking nerves," Lovino said icily as he pointed the gun at them.

"L-Lovino! Where did you get that?" Arthur paled.

"Hmph. You forget where I'm from, you stupid prince. Don't forget my family has ties to the mafia, and I'm pretty close with their leader."

"Vee ~ but mi fratello! Father said to only use that for emergencies!" his brother whimpered.

"This is an emergency dammit! I'm trying to stop them from being so fucking annoying, so be more appreciative!" Lovino said as he started to choke his brother.

"Lovino. Can't. Breathe. Choking. Me."

Arthur and Francis blinked in confusion and looked at each other with a shrug and started to laugh. Arthur couldn't help but feel more at ease.

_Maybe…maybe this'll be a good day after all._

Outside the balcony doors sat a cat.

* * *

The streets of Nodnol were once again quiet, and the group wandered the streets with eagerness in their eyes… well a few at least. Alice stood a safe distance away from Francis, as Ludwig attempted to keep himself calm as she clung tightly to his arm. Gilbert ran around town like an idiot and started screaming like a banshee causing some pedestrians to give them awkward stares. Mameko and Arthur were in a light conversation, but in the background Ylatian brothers were bickering again.

"Feliciano, how many times do I have to tell you? Brunettes are way better than blondes!"

"Vee ~ but Lovino! I don't like brunettes! I prefer blondes over brunettes!" he whined.

Lovino began to pinch his brother's cheeks and stretched them out.

"What do you know dammit? You're just an idiot!" He released his cheeks and groaned. "It makes me wonder how I'm even related to you."

"V-vee ~" his brother said sadly, rubbing his tender cheek which was now red. "Lovino you're so cold!"

"What did you say? I'll make you eat your words!"

He raised his hand and swiped fast as Feliciano shut his eyes tightly and winced in preparation for pain, but nothing came. He slowly opened his eyes and they widened in shock.

"I will not allow you to lay a hand on your brother," Ludwig said coldly. He twisted Lovino's wrist causing him to cry out in pain.

"U-unhand me you damn potato eating bastard!" Lovino hissed.

"Not until you learn how to treat your brother kindly," Ludwig responded twisting even more.

"Ow! Okay, okay! I promise! Just let go of my wrist!" Lovino pleaded with tears in his eyes.

Ludwig smiled and released him with a shove. Lovino brought it close to his chest and rubbed the sore area as he walked away cursing under his breath. Gilbert followed close behind making sure that the hot-headed prince didn't get lost. Feliciano blinked a few times then smiled.

"Vee ~ T-thank you Ludwig," he said with a smile.

Ludwig stopped and looked at him, his expression unreadable. "Y-yeah…no problem. I refuse to let any type of siblings to harm each other over trivial thing…well almost all siblings." He glanced over at the Kirkland twins and smiled.

"Oh? How nice of you!"

Feliciano gave an even bigger smile which made Ludwig slightly blush. He coughed and turned his head away from embarrassment. "I-it's nothing…anything for my future master."

Arthur's ear twitched. "Wait, what?" he snapped in worry and eyes filled with shock.

He made a quick approach to the two men and stopped in front of Ludwig. Feliciano jumped in fear and hid behind Ludwig, who was now looking at Arthur with stern eyes. Their eyes locked.

"L-Ludwig…what do you mean by that? What do you mean _your _future master?" His eyes were filled with hurt, but looking for answers.

Ludwig sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

"I was hoping to tell you this later, but I guess I'll have to tell you now." A raw unfamiliar feeling sat in Arthur's stomach as Ludwig gave him a cold foreign stare. "Arthur, listen to me and listen to me well. The day that you are to be wed I will become the Ylatian brother's bodyguard. Just because their family has close ties with the mafia doesn't mean that they don't need protection. Anything can happen. And so I offered my services to be their bodyguard, or at least until they get married, understand?"

Arthur fell silent and Mameko stood by his side with a tight grip on his hand. He looked at the ground and bit his lips unsure how to feel.

"W-what about me then? Who's going to protect me?" he finally said with a cracked voice.

Ludwig stared at him and sighed.

"Miss Mameko's current bodyguard will serve you just like I have. There is no change really, just a new face."

"And Arthur-kun…we can visit Ludwig whenever you want to," Mameko interrupted with a soft voice. "I know this was last minute, but…it's for the best."

Arthur stiffened.

_For the best? Why doesn't anyone ask for my opinion anymore? _He clenched his fist tightly.

Arthur gave a humorless laugh and lifted his head, his expression unreadable.

"Well whatever. Good riddance I say! I always hated you anyways," he said coldly. He roughly pulled away from Mameko's grasp and continued to walk forward. "Now if you all excuse me, we have a church to go to."

Mameko took a step forward to stop him, but Ludwig tugged on her shoulder and shook his head.

"No…he needs some time alone. He has a very hard time saying goodbye to people. He likes to put up a barrier and act tough to hide his real emotions. Apparently the only person that he's shown his weak side was his mother."

Mameko looked back over her shoulder and sighed. "I-I see…well it looks like Arthur-kun is a tsundere type of character then. Maybe I'm the person that will break him out of his shell…"

"Tsundere?" Gilbert interrupted with a Lovino thrashing over his shoulder.

"Ah, nothing never mind. It's a term used in my country," Mameko said quickly hiding her embarrassment. She quickly ran forward of the group and then twirled gracefully to look at them. "Well let's be on our way shall we. We can't lose my future husband, can we?" she said with a giggle.

* * *

The church was extremely large that it looked like the steeple touched the heavens themselves. Its large marble arch doors scaled to the top of the ceilings, and statues of white marble angels praying stood at each end of the entryway. The flight of stairs looked amazing as well…unless you were the one climbing it. Mameko stood at the foot of the stairs and looked at the large doors with awe.

"T-this is incredible!" she squeaked.

"Well this is our main church in here," Ludwig informed as he glided over to her side. "Do you like what you see?"

She giggled. "I absolutely love it!"

The group started to make their way up the stairs when a stray cat made its way to Mameko. It had short brown fur with a white belly and stared at her with its beady black eyes. She paused for a moment then smiled.

"K-Kawaii…" she muttered. She slowly picked up the cat and petted its back until it purred softly. She giggled. "Well aren't you a nice cat?"

Arthur turned around and saw Mameko playing with the random cat and couldn't help but smile. Alice watched her brother attentively and groaned in disgust.

"Come on lover boy, we don't have any more time to waste. You know how Father Roderich gets when we're late," she snapped in irritation.

"Yeah, yeah I'm coming. Don't get your knickers in a twist." He turned and looked back at Mameko. "Come on Mameko we're waiting on you!"

Mameko broke out of her cat spell. "Ah I'm sorry! I forgot that we were at the church," she confessed as she continued to hold that cat in her arms. "I'm on my way!"

Arthur couldn't help but feel those butterflies in his stomach when she made her way towards him, but do to this light feeling he didn't notice her trip.

"Miss Mameko!" Ludwig cried as he made his way to catch her.

She held the cat tightly in her arms and braced herself for a painful crash, but felt the cushion of a chest instead of cold hard cement.

"It's very dangerous to be running on stairs miss," an unfamiliar voice said in a monotonic tone.

She lifted her head to see a man with messy charcoal black hair. Two conjoined curls escaped from the tip of his head that made it look like a sprouting leaf. The emotions behind his dark green eyes were soft, and a gold cross dangled from his neck and barely touched his plain white t-shirt. He placed her onto her feet and dusted her off. She was speechless.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

She blinked a few times then subconsciously nodded her head. A stream of pink escaped her face as she pulled her face away from his gaze.

"I-I'm fine thank you," she said quietly holding the cat closer her to her chest.

The man looked at her with confusion. "Oh I'm glad to see that you're alright too, but I was actually talking to the cat."

He pointed at the cat as it meowed on cue its tail coiling with joy. Mameko looked at the cat then back at the man with embarrassment.

"Oh I'm sorry. Is this your cat?" she asked sheepishly holding the cat by its underarms. It meowed happily as the man took it back and placed it on its head.

"Yes, thank you very much. I've been looking for him all day," he said his voice still a bit low. "I don't know how I can ever repay you."

"You can start by taking us to Father Roderich," Ludwig chimed as he caught up with the two.

"Ah, Ludwig how nice it is to see you," the man said politely.

"Same. It's nice to see that you're doing well Heracles," Ludwig said a pleasant manner.

"Yes. I'm doing absolutely wonderful. Now what was that about seeing Father Roderich?"

"Well you see-"

Heracles glanced over at Mameko who was deeply staring at him with her dark eyes. He flashed a welcoming smile, but she immediately looked away in embarrassment and placed a hand over her chest. He recoiled back with a feeling of confusion.

_Did I do something wrong? _He thought scrunching his face.

"-and so can you help us?" Ludwig finished.

Heracles looked back at Ludwig making it seem like he was listening the entire time and nodded.

"Yes…I can help you, but first Ludwig," he started pointing at Mameko, "who is this person?"

She looked up at him with a half opened mouth then closed it and looked towards ground.

"Oh her? She's his Highness's fianc-"

"Mameko. Honda Mameko " she said abruptly. She reached hand out and refused to meet the man's eyes. "Nice to meet you Heracles-kun."

"I see. Your accent it seems foreign. Are you not from here?" he asked, tilting his head.

"Well she's actually from-" Ludwig started.

"No!" Mameko interrupted, quickly looking up. Both Ludwig and Heracles looked at her with confusion as she began to blush in embarrassment. "Umm, what I meant to say was: no I'm not from here. I'm actually from Napaj."

His eyes sparkled with excitement, or at least it appeared that way. "Well nice to meet you Ohime-sama," he said warmly shaking her hand.

She looked up at him. "Y-you speak Napajese?"

"Only a little bit. I am still learning" Heracles took the cat off his head and looked at its face. "Watashi wa nekodesu."

Mameko gave him an odd look then covered her mouth to muffle a giggle. "O-oh well then… nice to meet you Mr. Cat."

Heracles gave her a blank stare then placed the cat back on his head and gingerly petted it.

"Your laugh…it reminds me of a little girl. It's cute," he said softly as he looked her in the eyes.

She blushed.

Ludwig, noticing the mood, coughed and brought the princess back to reality.

"As I was saying before Heracles, Miss Honda here is Arthur's _fiancée. _And I will not let anything, and I mean _anything_, get in the way of their marriage." The last sentence was filled with slight venom.

"I understand Ludwig, but was it wrong of me to compliment a lady?" Heracles said in defense.

"Well no, but-"

"Well then excuse me for my rudeness, but I think it's time that we go look for Father Roderich. Isn't that right, Honda-san?"

His eyes searched for a friendliness within hers, but she looked away sheepishly and he shrugged off her shyness. Ludwig sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

_Arthur won't like this one bit. _He thought nervously.

The three reached the rest of the group and Arthur ran up to Mameko and unconsciously pulled her into a hug.

"Mameko, are you alright?" he asked worriedly.

"Y-yes. I am alright, thanks to Heracles-kun," she squeaked with a blush.

Arthur pulled away and blinked. "Heracles...kun?"

"Yes?" Heracles said appearing next to Mameko at an uncomfortable distance.

A sour sinking feeling sat in Arthur's stomach as he noticed the spacing between the two.

"Oh nothing never mind. I just want to say thank you for saving my fiancé," he mumbled.

"No problem…actually she saved me more than I saved her. She found my cat." Heracles pointed at the little tabby on his head, which meowed on cue again.

"I-I see."

Arthur turned his head away in slight anger. He didn't know why, but this uncomfortable ugly feeling started to swell in the pit of his stomach when Heracles came near him, and even more when he was around Mameko.

"Oh yes, I forgot to mention to Ludwig," Heracles interrupted causing Arthur to fill even more with that ugly feeling, "Father Roderich is currently in the back with a confession, so he said to go ahead and make yourselves comfortable."

"Well that's just perfect," Arthur scowled.

"Arthur!" Ludwig snapped.

"What do you want, you damn traitor?"

Ludwig frowned from the coldness of Arthur's tone. "I don't see why it's necessary to take your anger on this man. He's just doing his job. And also I recommend taking this time to calm down and to get familiar with the church."

"Oh, now I'm the bad guy? Look, I'm just irritated that's all," he huffed.

"Irritated at what Arthur-kun?" Mameko asked worriedly. He looked at her with slanted eyes and turned his back on her.

"It's none of your concern," he said coldly.

"Oh…I see." Mameko tugged on her sleeve and became silent.

A guilty feeling ran in Arthur's blood, but he pushed it away. It was everyone's damn fault anyway that he's a foul mood.

Alice started to make her way towards Arthur with her feet stomping on the ground. She didn't appeared pleased whatsoever. Arthur decided to take this opportunity to listen to Ludwig's advice.

"Hmmm what seems to be the problem, dear sister?" Arthur cooed.

She stopped and gave him a dark glare. She then scoffed in disgust and crossed her arms across her chest. It seemed like that move was her current trademark.

"It's that damn Francis. Some nun with short blond hair and a purple ribbon came in and he started being all creepy again. I swear can't stand him sometimes!"

"Oh well what's it to you if he flirts with women? Isn't that just who he is?" Arthur purred.

Alice flushed a dark shade of pink. "O-of course it doesn't bother me on who he talks to. I-it's just…as a woman; I need to protect my fellow females from the bloody frog who we call a royal prince! He's just so infuriating!"

"And attractive?" Arthur added sarcastically.

"And attractive!" Pause. Alice bit her tongue and shot Arthur the dirtiest glare that it would have killed a man, but Arthur only gave a wide grin.

"Oh…well now I see why it bothers you so much," Arthur teased.

"I'm going to fucking kill you," she threatened.

"Well I'll keep it a secret if you'd like," he continued to tease.

Alice's face burned a deeper shade of red and her face unreadable, but Arthur could tell that she was beyond mad. She walked up to him and pulled on his collar causing them to be eye level.

"I will never, I repeat _never,_ fall in love with that sad excuse of a man! Just because he can get all the ladies with his sweet talk, doesn't mean I'm that easily swayed." Her eyes were slanted and filled with so much rage that Arthur believed that the devil possessed her.

"Okay, okay! I understand, sorry. Didn't mean to make you upset!" he wheezed.

She let go of him and regained her composure immediately. "Good, now that I got that off my chest I think I'll help that one boy out."

"What boy?" Arthur coughed between words.

"I don't know, but I'm guessing that nun was his sister. He pulled out so many guns on Francis that it made me actually worried for him, but now I think I'm on that boy's side."

She walked away with an evil cackle that sent shivers down Arthur's spine. Lovino passed her and shot Arthur a very crazed look.

"Your fucking sister is fucking psycho," he said as walked up to Arthur.

"I-I know…" Arthur said with a cracked voice.

Lovino sighed in annoyance and placed his hands in his pant pockets.

"Something wrong?" Arthur asked in concern.

"Not really…it's just my damn brother got lost inside this fucking huge ass building, and I have no clue where to find him. Luckily, Francis's guard, whatever his name is, is with him. But that only makes me worry even more."

"Yeah…Gilbert has a very strange mind these days. Especially after being with Francis," Arthur sighed. Lovino gave him a horrified stare and Arthur bit his tongue. "N-not that he'll do anything!"

Just then a yell echoed through the corridors and Arthur and Lovino whipped their heads.

"That's-"

"FELICIANO!" Lovino screamed.

The two started to run down the hallways with Heracles, Mameko , and Ludwig following. Arthur couldn't help but notice that Ludwig had a very scary face, like he was ready to kill. They turned a corner and stopped with large eyes.

"That's-" Ludwig said in shock.

"You can't be serious!" Arthur fumed.

"Feliciano!" Lovino gasped.

In front of them sat Feliciano sitting on the ground crying as a shirtless man started tugging on his curl. Sweat was dripping down his body and traced down his muscles hitting every curve perfectly. His brown hair stuck to his forehead like a magnet and the sun glistened off him. The gold cross around his neck dangled of his pectoral muscles as he gave Feliciano a reassuring smile. He looked like an angel.

"Hold still! Don't worry it's almost out!" the man said as he continued to tug.

"Antonio!" Arthur growled.

The man turned with a smile and let go of Feliciano's hair curl. "Ah, welcome Prince of Burros. Here for a round two?"

But before Arthur managed to say anything, Lovino stomped passed him and into the Antonio's face.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing to my brother, you damn pervert?" he snapped, wagging a fist in his face.

"Whoa, whoa! Easy there big guy. Now what's this about me being a pervert?" Antonio asked in defense holding his arms up, but it didn't seem like Lovino heard him.

"You're making him cry! I should have you killed for attempting to do heinous things to him!"

"Hey! I wouldn't do such a thing! I'm a servant of God, not some pedophile," Antonio barked in slight anger, "And who do you think you are? His bodyguard?"

"I'm his brother you fucking idiot? Can't you tell?

Antonio looked at Feliciano then back at Lovino. You could see on Antonio's face that a light bulb clicked.

"Well it looks like you are. You two even have the same curl," he said in amusement as he reached out to touch Lovino's curl.

But when he got close, Lovino slapped his hand away and blushed. "What the hell do you think you're doing, dammit?"

"I'm learning how this curl works," Antonio said with a confused smile.

"Wait, why?" Arthur asked as he crossed his arms.

"Ah, well you see I was about to - uh what do you white people call it - par with Gilbert when this young man fell in that bush over there. I offered to help him out since I'm the main doctor that works here, but you see I learn things quicker by physically touching them and well-"

He pointed at Feliciano, whose own curl was tangled with bushel of brush. Ludwig gracefully squatted by his said and patted his back. Feliciano stifled a sniffled then buried his face into Ludwig's chest and started to cry. Ludwig however, stiffened and blushed furiously.

"L-Ludwig! I-it hurts! Make it stop," Feliciano cried. At this point everyone started to feel Feliciano's pain, and Lovino kept a hard scowl.

"I can't do much if I don't know that hair's anatomical structure, and since it seems to be extremely sensitive I'm having a hard time taking it out." Antonio said crossing his arms.

Ludwig looked down at Feliciano and gave a sympathetic frown. "I-I'm sorry, Your Highness. I-I'm not sure how to."

An arrogant laugh floated into the room and everyone turned. "Come now West! Just yank the damn hair out, and everything else will be fine."

Feliciano covered his cowlick. "Y-yank it out?" he squealed.

"Now wait just a fucking moment!" Lovino interrupted, "doing that is like killing him!"

"Oh how so?" Arthur asked in curiosity.

Lovino growled. "It just will, dammit!"

Lovino looked at Ludwig who gave him a pleading look then turned his attention towards Antonio. His face scrunched with bitterness as his dark green eyes slanted. "Fine, just make it quick! And no funny business!"

Antonio blinked unsure what he meant by that, but he wanted to save the poor boy in pain so he took the chance. Lovino stiffened when he felt Antonio's body heat coming near him and attempted to keep a blush from appearing, but he felt his face growing warm and the heat crawling to his ears. An electrifying feeling coursed through him when Antonio started tugging on his curl, but it wasn't out of pain it was more of pleasure. He didn't know why, but ever since he was young he and his brother were famous for having very sensitive cowlicks.

"I got it!" Antonio said, releasing Lovino's curl.

Lovinno breathed and attempted to regain his composure. "Servant of God my ass," he muttered under his breath.

"Did you say something?"

Lovino's shoulders jumped. "N-no it's nothing."

A splash of pink escaped his face as he silently cursed at his body for betraying him. Antonio tilted his head in utter confusion, but shook it off thinking that it was his imagination. He turned to Ludwig and told him how to take the branch off, and with tender hands Ludwig managed to pull it out.

"Vee ~ thank you Ludwig!" Feliciano said with a smile.

"I-it was nothing…" Ludwig hid his face to keep himself from blushing. "Plus, it's my fault for leaving your side, so my humblest apologies, Your Highness."

Gilbert started to laugh obnoxiously. "What's wrong West? Already have a soft spot for the prince?"

"N-no," Ludwig stuttered. The pink on his cheeks started to reveal more as he looked at Feliciano. He then looked away. "I-I just feel like it's my duty to look after him, and since he was injured without me present I feel like I should take responsibility."

Gilbert started to laugh even louder. "See that's why I don't get close to anyone, especially royalty...well besides Francis, but that's a different story. Anyways, I'm more of a one night stand kind of guy myself! Like this one dude from last night's party! God, how I wanted to-"

"Gilbert!" Ludwig interrupted.

"What? I was just going to say fuck his brains out, is that a crime?"

"O-oh my," Mameko stuttered with red cheeks. She brought her hands to her cheeks to keep herself in a professional stance. "I-I didn't know that this country supported yaoi here as well."

"Yaoi?" Arthur asked.

"It's a term used for gay love type of thing," Heracles informed. Arthur bit his lip.

"I wasn't asking you," he snapped under his breath. The raw ugly feeling started to fill his stomach again.

"Oh…so that's where you went after you left me and Francis?" Antonio said with a smirk.

"Hell yeah!" Gilbert said with a grin.

The rest of the group started talking about Gilbert's night with some "amazing" blond kid, but Arthur felt his patience growing thin. He growled to himself as he turned a heel and started to walk away with his hands in his pockets and eyes closed, but the curse from the night before seemed to stick with him. He collided with person and took a few steps back, but this person seemed a bit smaller than the other people that he ran into. He heard a squeak followed by a loud thud.

"Ow," the voice said.

Arthur rubbed his chest and blinked a few times to look at the person he just collided with.

"Sorry about that I didn't mean to bump into-"

His eyes widened.

The man started to become extremely frantic as he searched for something on the ground. When his fingers managed to find what looked like a handkerchief with a polar bear stitched in it, he calmed down.

"I-I'm so sorry!" the man mumbled with a sense of fear.

Arthur looked at him carefully, but his eyes continued to stay wide.

_Something is different about him. Maybe it's his hair? It does seem a bit longer and wavier, just like that damn Francis's. It can't be that…maybe it's because he's wearing glasses? No…he could have just worn contacts yesterday._

The man looked up at Arthur and immediately paled, but what caught Arthur's attention was the color of his eyes.

_Violet? Wait the only person that I know that has violet eyes is Ivan. Not only that, but his arrogance level has seemed to have dropped drastically."_

"Y-your Highness! I didn't mean to cause any harm! Please don't execute me!" the man stuttered with fearful tears in his eyes.

"Oh…no damage done. Don't cry!" Arthur said with guilt in his voice. _What's his problem? Now he's respectful? What the bloody hell is going on? And why wasn't he like this yesterday?_

The rest of the group caught up with Arthur to see the situation and Gilbert gave a huge grin.

"Hey! It's Alfred the guy I was telling you about!" he said happily.

Arthur looked at Gilbert with bewilderment. "Alfred?"

_That's right, Alfred was his name._

He didn't want to believe it, but this guy looked so much like the Alfred from last night that he convinced himself that it was.

"He's so cute!" Feliciano said.

Ludwig stiffened.

"My, what a lovely face! I could just kiss it!" Antonio chimed in.

Lovino and Alfred's eyes widened in fear.

"I-I-I…"Alfred stuttered with more fear filled tears coming his eyes.

"You damn pervert!" Lovino hissed angrily. He huffed out of the corridor and Antonio watched in confusion.

"Was it something I said?"

"Yeah, keep your hands off. This one's mine," Gilbert threatened.

A devilish smirk pursed on Antonio's lips as he placed a hand on his albino friend's shoulder.

"I thought you said that you don't get attached," he taunted giving a playful wink.

Alfred jumped in shock and looked at Gilbert, who looked at him with a nervous blush then brushed Antonio's arm off sheepishly.

"I-I don't," he stuttered. He gave a small cough then puffed out his chest. "I just don't want your damn hands all over this boy cause I still haven't gotten my fill yet."

"I see," Antonio said not really convinced.

Alfred stood up and dusted his beige coat off, putting the handkerchief into his pocket. He then adjusted his glasses and looked at the group in confusion.

"Umm…excuse me, but would you guys mind telling me what you're doing here? I was told that today would be reserved for a confessional." Alfred said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. His voice was so quiet that people had to lean in to hear him.

Everyone's faces washed over in disarray.

"Well we had plans on discussing our wedding with Father Roderich today, but since it seems like he's currently busy," Arthur said, his gaze still not leaving the new Alfred. "So I guess for now all we can do is wander around these grounds."

"I see, well I'm sure that he's done now so you can go see him if you want," Alfred said with a smile.

Arthur's heart skipped a beat as he blushed furiously. His eyes fell the the ground as his hands curled into fists.

_He looks exactly like him, but…I get the feeling that he's not that same obnoxious Acireman from yesterday. _He thought in utter confusion.

Arthur managed to fake a smiled and gave a weak laugh.

"Umm, yes I think I'll go ahead and do that," he said a bit flustered. He turned towards Mameko and smiled. "You stay here. I'll make him come to us since we've already taken the liberty of exploring half of this God forsaken church."

Mameko nodded her head and turned towards Heracles with a smile. Arthur frowned slightly as the anger started to swell again.

_Hmph, whatever. It's not like I'm jealous or anything._

Arthur slipped out of the group with ease and started walking down the corridors of the church. As he ventured even further the hallways got darker.

"How the hell does anyone find their way in here?" he muttered as the sense of fear started to crawl in his mind.

Just then the sound of other footsteps rang in the hallways and Arthur froze. Anxiety filled his head as he legs turned to putty and refused to move. He looked down the hallway and the steps grew louder and faster.

_What the hell is that?_

His heart pounded loudly in his ears that he thought his eardrums would burst, and his stomach was doing all kinds of flips. He closed his eyes and tried to imagine a happy place. An image of his mother smiling flashed.

"Look out!"

Arthur's eyes shot open as he looked down the dark hallway.

_That voice!_

What felt like an elephant crashing into him, Arthur felt a body colliding into him and caused him to tumble over the concrete for with a heavy crash. Arthur cringed in pain as the other body groaned.

"Ow, my head," the voice said.

Arthur sat up and rubbed that back of his head. He growled and shifted his eyes to look for the person that ran into him, but the shadows of the pillars surrounded the person.

"What the bloody hell was that for you git!"

"I should be asking you that!" the voice snapped back.

_It can't be._

"Show me your face, so I can beat the crap out of you!" Arthur threatened. _His face…I need to see his face._

"My pleasure!"

Arthur held his breath as the man stepped into a sunny area revealing his golden hair and cream colored face. The man blinked in awe was he stopped his fist directly in front of Arthur's nose. His eyes were sky blue. Arthur's heart skipped a beat.

_It's him. It's that damn Acireman._

The man blinked then pointed at Arthur. "Hey! It's the bushy brow wannabe prince!"

Arthur blinked at first then groaned as a nerve snapped.

"My eyebrows are not bushy!" he said in defense as he covered his prominent brows. "And who are you calling a wannabe prince?"

"Yeah they are, trust me," the man snorted. He placed his hands in his pockets and leaned backwards making him curve into a round L shape then collapsed his shoulders. He then readjusted himself and picked his ear with his pinky. "And what the hell is your problem? I thought this day was reserved for my confessional!" The man snapped.

"I should be the one saying that! And quit avoiding my other question! Also, I could have sworn I saw you about two minutes ago."

The man's eyes flashed in surprise and Arthur's eyes repeated the gesture in shock. The man quickly grabbed Arthur's shoulder and looked him in the eye. The light blue eyes seemed to pierce Arthur's soul as he stood there mesmerized.

"You saw Mattie? Where is he?" the man asked.

"Mattie? Who's Mattie?" Arthur questioned.

"Dead, if I don't find him soon." The man let go of Arthur and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small white container about the size of a deck of cards. "You see, he forgot to take his meds again, and if I don't find him soon he's going to be a dead man."

"Well, look at this. You expect me to help you after being rude to me for not one, but _two _days now? Forget it!" Arthur huffed and turned away, crossing his arms.

The man's eyes grew dark and his smile dropped. "You're...you're not going to help me? Please, you have to help me! He's going to die if I don't give this to him!"

A sense of guilt ate at Arthur's conscience as he turned to look at the Acireman.

_He doesn't seem to be lying…ARGH! Why do I have to deal with the assholes of the world?_

Arthur gave a small cough making the man give him his full attention. His eyebrows began to twitch.

"W-well, only if you promise to be nicer, maybe, just maybe, I might tell you where I saw him last." Arthur turned his head away to hide is shattered pride.

The man smiled and it seemed like the entire room lit up.

"Whatever you say princess!"

Arthur felt his face growing warm, but it was suddenly discarded at a certain thought.

"Wait, what did you just say?" he asked with tight lips.

"Whatever you say?" the man repeated in confusion.

"After that."

"Princess?"

"That! I am not a princess," Arthur cursed, "And another thing-"

An image of the masked hero flashed in his mind and Arthur stopped his sentence. An unfamiliar foreign feeling entered the back of his head. _The way that he says it seems familiar for some weird reason. He couldn't be…could he?_

"Yeah, yeah sure whatever. So are you going to take me to Mattie or what?" the man huffed.

Arthur immediately discarded the thought and frowned in irritation. _Scratch that, it's impossible. He doesn't even come close to that vigilante guy. At least he had some type of etiquette._

"Yeah, hold your horses," Arthur barked, "you need to learn some patience I swear."

The two started to walk down the dark hallway in loud fighting voices as the wind blew gently. Alfred then looked down a corridor and frowned.

A cat was looking at him.

* * *

The sound of three men fighting and metal clashing caused Arthur jump in his skin. The Aciremaan gave an arrogant laugh and glided right by him.

"Hey, it seems like you guys are having a party over there," he said in excitement.

"It's not a party you git. It's obviously a fight!" Arthur scowled.

"A fight? I wanna join!"

"No you don't! You'll get killed out there!"

The man gave a sly smile. "You'd be surprised at how good I am with a sword and a gun."

"Oh really? And just how good are you?" Arthur said with the same coy feeling.

"Let's just say that, I've seen more of a murders than the average man." The man chuckled sending a cold chill down Arthur's spine.

"I-I see…isn't that a bit creepy though? I mean, I don't see what kind of job would call for so much bloodshed," Arthur muttered quietly. He glanced to see that the man had a serious face on his look. It didn't fit him all that well and Arthur shifted slightly. "Ah sorry I didn't mean to open any old wounds."

"It's for Mattie," the man said quietly.

"Huh?"

"Nothing, never mind," the man said quickly. He took the medicine bottle out of his pocket and tossed it to Arthur. "Here, I have a feeling that my brother is there. I want you to go take this and give it to him. Also, please continue to call him Alfred. I don't want to cause any confusion."

Arthur blinked. "Why the hell should I do it? He's your brother!"

The man gave him a dark stare that made Arthur jump. "Trust me when I say it's best that I don't show my face out there. You never know what might happen."

Arthur stood there unsure what to say besides a few thoughtful noises. The man gave a wave goodbye started to walk away within the shadowed corridors with hands in his pockets, but before he vanished Arthur reacted. He ran and grabbed on the man's wrist causing the sandy blond to turn around with dark eyes.

"What is it now?" he growled.

"Name," Arthur mumbled.

"Huh?" the man said completely confusing, cocking an eyebrow.

Arthur was shaking uncontrollably and his eyes towards the ground. He didn't understand why it was so damn hard for him to talk to this guy. Was it fear that kept his mouth shut? Whatever it was it suffocated him.

"Your name? What's your Goddamn name?" Arthur finally said looking at him in the eyes.

The man first looked at Arthur as if he told an unusual joke, but then he cracked sardonic smile.

"I see… so you want to know my name?"

The man twisted his wrist out of Arthur's grip causing him to wince in pain, and he tightly held on to Arthur's wrist. Arthur whimpered as the medicine bottle fell out of his hands and rattled across the stone flooring. He quivered in pain, but it immediately vanished when the man became uncomfortably close to Arthur's back. Arthur felt his face growing warm and cursed at himself. He was probably beet red at the moment. The man placed his lips near Arthur's ear and his breath sent shivers racing down his spine. The room suddenly became hot and it was hard to breathe. The man gave a bone chilling laugh.

"What an odd question, especially when you already know it," he breathed and Arthur shivered.

He released Arthur's wrist causing him to unwind and fall to the ground in a trance like state. He gave Arthur another devilish smirk and started to walk away.

"See ya' later, _Artie_," he said with a wave.

Arthur growled slightly, but did nothing as the man vanished within the shadows. He didn't realize that he was holding his breath until he took a large gasp and attempted to cool down his face. He bit his lip and picked up the medicine bottle and examined it closely.

_That damn wanker. H-he'll pay for what he did. _He thought, trembling uncontrollably in furry.

When he regained his composure, pushed himself from the ground and started walking down the hallway and into the court, where he saw the three idiots, I mean 'terrible trio', fighting with fairly sharp swords. He glanced over at Mameko who was sitting on bench and talking to Heracles, but as close as they were that feeling from before never came. He continued to scan the court and found the person that he was looking for. The Alfred copycat.

"Mat- Alfred!" he cried out.

Everyone stopped in their place.

"W-what is it, Your Highness? If it's about before I'm sorry!" Alfred squeaked.

Arthur gave a weak laugh. "Umm, no it's not about that, it's just here."

He gave Alfred the bottle of medicine and the sandy blond eyes widen.

"Where did you-"

"Well, you see, Father Roderich told me to give this to you. He said that you forgot it at the confessionals," Arthur said, scratching the back of his head.

Alfred, cathing on the suggestion, laughed nervously.

"I-I see, well thank you, Your Highness."

Alfred took the medicine warily and gave Arthur a small smile, but there was some pain behind it. A sudden sense of sympathy enveloped Arthur as if there was a deeper meaning behind that smile. Gilbert stood next to Alfred and patted his head.

"Hey, that stuff is pretty hard to get! You know unless you get it from my neck of the wood, where did you manage to get that?" Gilbert asked with curious eyes.

Alfred gave a weak laugh. "You see umm, I have some connections in Ecnarf, so I umm, I get a pretty good amount?"

"Oh well that's cool, I guess," Gilbert said in a doubtful tone.

Alfred responded with another weak laugh and put the bottle into his pocket. "Umm, if you excuse me I have somewhere to be right now, so I'll see you guys later."

"Yeah later," Arthur said quietly.

"Hey, you should stop by the local bar tonight! Me and West will be there!" Gilbert shouted as Alfred made his way down a sunnier hallway.

"I'll think about it, anyways I'll see you around Gilbert! It was nice seeing you again."

And with that he was gone. Arthur continued to look down the hall until Gilbert's scoff broke his concentration.

"That drug…how did he get that?" Gilbert growled, placing his hands in his pocket.

"Is it really that hard to get it?" Arthur asked tilting his head.

"You bet." Gilbert's eyes became serious as he stared down the hallway with concern. " It's a very powerful drug. It allows the user to use their body to its full extent. It's normally given to people who are basically on death row another chance at life. But the price is that the person will die if they don't take it every day."

Arthur's eyes widen.

_So Alfred wasn't lying when he said that his brother would be a dead man._

"Well that's some drug isn't it?" Arthur said gravely.

"Yeah, which doesn't make any sense; No one, besides royalty, is allowed to get the drug. And the only way you could get it out of the country is if you had very close ties with the king." Gilbert clicked his tongue and scratched the back of his head in frustration, but immediately recovered and licked his lips. "Hmmm, Alfred I'm now curious about you. I wonder what kind of man you really are."

Arthur shuddered. _What a creep…but he is right. Alfred, what kind of person _are_ you?_ An image of the masked vigilante flashed in his mind. _Are you a hero?_ Then Alfred's sardonic face flashed after. _Or are you a villain?_

He scratched his head furiously and groaned.

"Argh! I just don't know what to think anymore!" he said aloud.

"Whoa, what happened to you? Did the creepy priest give you a present or something?" Gilbert teased.

"O-of course not!" Arthur flushed.

The sound of heels clicking against the concrete made the two of them turn around and blink. A petite person with a bowl cut haircut and blond hair appeared before them. Arthur could've have sworn it was a boy, but a purple ribbon threw out that idea.

"Umm Father Roderich is ready to see you now," she said sheepishly.

Francis then suddenly appeared at her side and took a knee as he planted a kiss on her hand.

"Mon ange, our meeting was cut short last time, but please do not worry I will bring you to a wonderful place where we shall make sweet love," Francis cooed giving her a wink.

The girl's face paled. "V-V-VASH!"

In an instant, a gun was placed in front of Francis's face and he paled a dangerous shade of blue.

"Messing with my sister again you damn frog?" a boy snipped.

"Non, non! I am nothing but a petite little boy in a very large world," Francis squeaked.

"As if!" Alice hissed in the background. She adjusted her glasses and gave Francis a glare. "Vash, he's lying and if you want I'll shred off every ounce of manhood that this man has."

The boy smiled. Arthur examined him closely and couldn't help but laugh. He looked extremely identical to the girl, minus the fact that he was a boy and a bit more rougher around the edges. Arthur gave a smile.

_They're probably the people Alice was talking about earlier...so that means that boy is that girl's older brother._

"Hmmm, alright Alice, I'll take you on that offer, but at least let me kill him first," he hissed cocking the gun.

"W-wait Vash! Don't be hasty!" the girl said clinging to the boy.

"L-Lili! What are you doing?" Vash stuttered.

"I-I was overreacting. He really didn't do any harm," Lili said quietly. She looked at Francis and blushed slightly. She then looked at her brother and relaxed. "He was just being polite that's all and I just got a bit scared."

Francis's eyes widen. "See! I wasn't doing anything wrong! Now put your toys away, it's rude to point such dangerous things at a prince."

Vash scowled lowly, but did as he was told. "Watch yourself, if you're not careful you won't be a prince any longer."

Francis gulped. "U-understood."

Vash gave his sister a warm smile then gave Francis a warning glance and walked away. Francis breathed and Lili giggled.

"I'm sorry about that. My brother tends to get a bit overprotective," she said with a smile.

"I-I can see that," Francis said with exasperation.

The two pulled into a light conversation with a few laughs and Alice watched in the distance, her expression unreadable.

"Fucking men."

Mameko walked up to Arthur with a smile on her face and Arthur swore he returned it, but apparently not.

"Is something the matter Arthur-kun?" she asked.

"Hmmm? No it's nothing," he said almost in a harsh tone.

"Maybe he's getting sick," Heracles followed.

Arthur looked at Heracles and frowned. "Yeah you're probably right."

He grabbed Mameko's hand and pulled her to his side. "Come now dear, we have to plan for our wedding so I can go back home and get some rest."

Mameko choked a bit in shock. "R-right."

She looked at Heracles and smiled lightly. "It was nice meeting you Heracles-kun. I'll see you around?"

"I'll look forward to that day Honda-san," Heracles said with a sincere smile.

"I'll look forward to that day Honda-san," Arthur mocked immaturely, but low enough for nobody to hear.

Lili pulled out of her conversation with Francis and stood in front of the group.

"Okay, if you would please follow me I'll take you to his chambers," she said with a smile.

"Finally," Lovino groaned.

"Hmmm, parting is such sweet sorrow isn't it?" Antonio said with a frown.

"Yeah whatever," Lovino muttered.

"Hmmm, senor, did I do something to make you upset?" Antonio asked with a puppy dog face.

Lovino looked at him and blushed. "N-no! It's just that…it's just that…ARGH! Come on Feliciano we're leaving."

"Vee ~ where are we going?" Feliciano asked.

"Away from here, dammit!" Lovino cursed.

He pulled his brother's hand and tugged him down the hallway. Ludwig followed close behind and began to laugh.

_Looks like this will be a long meeting. _He thought while shaking his head.

* * *

**A/N: **All the love interest have appeared, but their love for each other will not show until later chapters! So more waiting for you guys. Please read & review, and I'll get back to guys as soon as possible. Also, no actual I guess "kinky" scenes until way later, but I have decided for sure there will be a treat for you guys. Please R & R!


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